One Pony's Tale: The Drake Chronicles Vol 3: The Pinkamena Murders
by Dr-Lovekill
Summary: Following the tragic disaster at Fort Mesquite, Lt. Drake is plagued by guilt. Given a second chance, and reassigned by Celestia to investigate a series of disappearances in the town of Ponyville, can he stop a sadistic killer before they strike again? And can Drake let go of his past before it destroys him? Rating will change by the end. Language, violence and adult content.
1. Chapter 1: Reassignment

CHAPTER 1

_If you have been following the life of Drake, this is the long-anticipated beginning of pert three of his story. I hope all of you enjoy this volume as much as you enjoyed the last. If this is the first Drake-centric story you have read so far, that's fine. This fic can be read by itself. In fact, I wrote this story before any of the others, and originally intended it to be a stand-alone fic. Then, I got into MLP more, and decided to make it a series. So, without further ado, here is Chapter one of volume three. I hope you enjoy. Please send me your reviews, everypony! _

There have been a lot of wild rumors circulating about the events surrounding the infamous 'cupcakes' incident, what some folk call 'the Pinkamena murders', and the ponies connected with the dark occurrence. What drives me, and everypony else involved mad are the ones who write their own narratives about the twisted case, when they weren't even there. What's even worse is that some..._fans_ of this case who draw some sick, sadistic pleasure from hearing about the events that still give me and other ponies involved nightmares.I want to put this damned story straight once and for all.

Pinkamena is dead. Her young accomplice is safely in the crazy farm, and all traces of the brutal murders have been...ahem...erased, save for the written history. Protection for the living victims is no longer necessary, and all evidence is now declassified, and so I have gotten permission from Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia, my superior officers Colonel Surcingle, commanding officer, 12th Equestrian Cavalry, Colonel Saber Rattle, commanding officer Royal Military Police Division, as well as the Ponyville constable to write this account.

My name is Drake. That's not my _real _name. My name, in case it has any special interest to you personally is 1st Lieutenant Dragoon Sabre, 12th Royal Equestrian Cavalry, currently assigned to the Royal Military Police Division as a special investigator. But since everypony just calls me Drake, Lieutenant Drake, or 'You with the ridiculous hat', the readers of this little story must be happy with Drake. Now, knowing my name, I insist that any mentally disturbed folk out there obsessed with this case not try to track me down for more gory details than I wish to even remember.

Now, where to begin? Well, for one, I'm a soldier in the 12th Equestrian Cavalry. Being a lieutenant in a cavalry regiment specializing in frontier guardianship offers many opportunities for hardship, isolation and danger. So I found myself early on in my life in a perfect position for a rattlesnake or a sagebrush. I commanded a small frontier garrison consisting of a small squad of cavalryponies and two civilians, a scout and a sutler.

My home, my prison, and my duty for over five years was Fort Mesquite, in the Badlands to the west of Canterlot, Manehattan, and all other 'civilized' parts of the land. The nearest settlement was a small village, five miles from the fort. This, like it or not, was my entire world. Day after day of patrolling the countryside for wild Buffalo threatening the towns and the settlers, and week after week of mostly boring routine and staring at the same four walls amounted to a life of dust, privation and monotony, broken only by what few instances of fun we could muster, or by the frantic action of battle.

Not that I shy away from a fight. We had our scraps, and I never back down from a fight if I am under orders or if it's for a good cause. Unfortunately, our adversaries preferred sneak attacks, hitting and running, before disappearing into the wilderness like ghosts. Still, we fought. We defended the frontier. We guarded the settlers, and lived our lives of duty, my troopers and I, for almost five years. Then...there was the incident.

Unless you have been there, you can never know the horrors of war. Orders and military structure exist for the sole purpose of saving as many lives as possible...on your side. A soldier...an officer needs only to make a single mistake, act rashly only once, and all hell breaks loose. Things happen, bad things, and ponies die. I will say no more about it.

So, I found myself disgraced for what I had done. I was sent back to Canterlot, and expected a full court martial. Maybe prison time, execution, or at least a dishonorable discharge. Apparently though, my regimental commander appealed to the general, and the general appealed to somepony. I do not know. Maybe somepony really high up got ahold of my paperwork and saw something in it, and in me. I don't know, and I couldn't have cared less at the time. I'd had enough. If I were thrown out of the cavalry I loved in disgrace, I deserved it. If I were hung from a gallows in the middle of Canterlot, I would have welcomed it as a fitting punishment for my crimes.

Until the final verdict was decided, I was stuck behind a desk in Canterlot, doing the one thing all field commanders dread...administrative work. I sat at a desk and filled out and stamped forms for the cavalry, and passed them on in a never-ending assembly line of papers and forms, orders and transfers, leaves and requisitions. I hated it. From the very beginning, I feared being stuck in a position like this, and I invited the day to come where I would be dragged to court to face the charges leveled against me by the military and my own actions on the frontier. After the incident that plunged me into self-loathing, this was a fate worse than death. Here I was, 28 years old, and without friends, family, and now stuck in a cubicle waiting on the brass to pass judgment on me for making the biggest damned mistake of my life.

Every night, I sat in my small room, staring at my beloved cavalry sabre hanging on the wall. Soon, the visions would come, the memories. It was almost like I was there again, that day on the frontier. I thought about it, the sabre...if I could bring myself to do that. It seemed only right some nights, to die by the sword, my own sword. Then my mind would clear, though I wondered at times which thoughts were really mental clarity, and which instances were truly insanity.

Then, one morning, as I get ready for another day of menial and unsatisfying work, there was a knock on the door to my small apartment. Without a word being dais, the door opened, and there stood a tall, stoutly build light tan earth pony. He wore the distinctive dress uniform of a Cuirassier, complete with the polished steel helm with a brass ridge and black crest. On either sleeve were the stripes of a Sergeant Major. I stared at this imposing figure a moment, and realized that almost like the shadow of death, this powerful-looking NCO had come for me.

"First Lieutenant Dragoon Sabre?" He inquired.

"Yes." I answered simply.

"Sgt Major Sword Breaker." He replied. "You must come with me at once." I sighed.

"Alright." I answered. "Where?"

"Court...lieutenant." The sergeant major stated. He stood in the doorway, obviously waiting on me to get myself together and go with him, and looking like the type of soldier who takes his duties seriously, and wouldn't take no for an answer. I strapped on my sabre, and pulled on my hat. My reckoning had finally come, and I was ready to face it with cautious optimism. Sergeant Major Breaker stood aside as I walked out of the room. As I started down the hall, the stern NCO walked beside me.

"Cuirassiers?" I asked in a low voice as we walked. He looked slightly to my direction, and snapped his eyes back forward. We walked in silence a few seconds before he finally replied.

"I was with the 39th Cuirassiers." He replied. "Command Sergeant Major." I nodded. The 39th. Good unit. You know you're a good unit when they make up fables about your exploits. "Currently Sergeant Major of the Cavalry, sir." So they had sent the highest-ranking NCO in the entire damned cavalry to fetch me, and a battle-hardened veteran at that. I just knew at that point that this day would end with me at the end of a rope, or wishing I was. Sergeant Major Breaker escorted me for a long time, leading me down the street of official buildings, until we came to a door guarded by two soldiers of the Canterlot Royal Guard. The gold-armored ponies allowed us passage through the large ornate door, and we walked down a long hall. We stopped just before another large door, white with gold inlay.

"We here?" I asked simply, ready to get this over with.

"Through that door, lieutenant." Breaker stated. "My duty was to escort you to court, and nothing more. Good luck, lieutenant." He stood there a moment, and his bright green eyes wandered a bit. "I knew your father...your adopted father, sir. Good pony."

"Yes..." I whispered. "Yes he was."

"Good luck." He said, and nodded.

"Thank you, sergeant major." I replied. He walked away, and I stood there in silence, staring at the door. I walked up, and pushed open the doors, ready to accept my fate.

I had been told I was being taken to court. expected the kind of court with a military judge, jurors, and JAG lawyers painting me as the unstable, incompetent monster I probably was. I found myself confused and surprised. I had not been taken to military court. Instead, I had just been escorted to the kind of court I had never expected...Royal Court.

Clad in my sword belt and sabre, and wearing my coquettish gray cavalier slouch hat, upturned on the right side with a large griffon feather sticking out of the brim, I found myself standing before the trone of Her Majesty, Princess Celestia herself. I was in awe. With her brilliant mane shimmering like the morning sky, and her powerful gaze upon me, I felt choked up. I stammered for a moment, then cast my hat to the floor, and knelt before my monarch.

"Your Majesty!" I gasped, averting my eyes downward. There was a moment of silence.

"Lieutenant..." The princess finally said, her voice seemingly full of compassion. I looked up to see that she had descended from her throne, and was slowly coming toward me. For all I knew, my crime had been so great that the Royal Sisters themselves wanted to punish me personally.

"I...I am at the mercy of my Princess." I said in a low voice. "And I am prepared to die for..." I began to tear up. "...for what I have done." Another silence. I looked back up to the princess. She stood before me, trying to maintain a smile. Or was she smiling in understanding? Her eyes were full of tears, and as she blinked, they ran down her cheeks.

"Without a doubt, you have been punished enough, my faithful soldier."

"Your...Majesty?" I whispered.

"I see that you are a loyal and gallant soldier, and that you feel very deeply for all that has happened." She said, composing herself. "You made a mistake. We all make mistakes, my dear lieutenant."

"Some worse than others." I stated cynically. "Oh...I...my apologies, your highness." I whispered, bowing low.

"Please stop." Princess Celestia implored. She picked up my hat and placed it back on my head with her magic. Then she stepped forward, and gently and carefully wiped the brass crossed sabres pin on the front with her foreleg. My eyes grew as wide as saucers. "There now." She said with a warm smile.

"I...I..." I stammered.

"No," She said with another smile. "No more of that, Lieutenant Drake." She looked into my eyes, and it felt like my entire soul. "You are supposed to be one of the best, lieutenant. You are an expert tracker and hunter, and a great fighter...lest I've been lied to?" She was still giving me a friendly smile.

"I...I do my job, your highness." I replied.

"This I know." She said. "I have heard that you are one of the finest cavalry officers in Equestria."

"Well, I'm afraid that may have been a lie." I returned. "Would one of the finest cavalry officers in Equestria be waiting on a full military court martial for pulling a General Custard?"

"There will be no court martial, Drake." The princess said. "I have something else planned for you." She motioned with her head for me to walk with her. I obeyed. "A great tragedy has gripped Ponyville, a small city near here. I need a pony of strength, courage and intelligence to solve this...calamity."

"A calamity?" I muttered. "Wait! You're reassigning me?! After...after..." Princess Celestia had stopped by a window, and was staring out, concern on her face.

"Several ponies have disappeared. Simply vanished, lieutenant." She said gravely. "We are beginning to suspect...ah, how to say it? Foul play."

"What about the local police, you majesty?" I interjected. "Surely they..." 

"Have hit a dead end." The princess said, finishing my statement. "They have been unable to uncover any clues pertaining to the disappearances. Nopony has. That is where you come in."

"But...I mean...Your Highness, this is not a..."

"A military matter?" She asked.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Four days ago, an off-duty Royal Guard disappeared in Ponyville. As of now, this has become a military matter. My military advisers have requested I bring in a professional military tracker and guerrilla expert."

"I understand." I said. I felt honored that of all the soldiers in Equestria, Her Highness had chosen me for this job. "What about JAG? Military PCIS? The Equestria Bureau of Investigation?"

"I have assigned you." She replied frankly. A letter appeared in a puff, and floated to my hoof. "These are your orders...but lieutenant?" I looked up to see the princess staring into my eyes with a hint of sadness. "Think of this not as an order, but as a second chance for you...and a favor to me. Please find the cause of the disappearances. See that...justice is done, Lieutenant Drake?" I was almost speechless. I nodded solemnly.

"I will...Your Highness."

_So begins chapter 1 of volume three. Drake has gotten a second chance, investigating some disappearances in Ponyville. So he is probably gonna run into a few characters you may know well. If you're familiar with the dark and twisted MLP...thing...that this story references, then you may already know what's coming. This is NOT a rewrite of 'Cupcakes', which is the sole intellectual property of Sergeant Sprinkles, who is most credited with being the original author. This is a re-envisioning of the events of that story. Also, Sergeant Major Sword Breaker is not my creation. That honor goes to one Captain Fuckew McHugerage. Thanks for all the advice, mate! I'll try to have the next chapter up in a couple days. Starting monday, I'll start posting one or two chapters a day, as per usual. Please review, everypony, and thanks for reading! _


	2. Chapter 2 Ponyville

CHAPTER 2: Ponyville

_Hello, everypony. I'm back with another chapter, finally. Drake finally makes it to Ponyville, and begins to see what he's gotten himself into. You may notice the tone and atmosphere of this story is a bit different than the last. Drake's life has begun to change yet again, and the only question is...will it be a change for the better, or for the worse? Please enjoy the story, and remember to review!_

After a short train ride from Canterlot, I exited the train at Ponyville Station. Looking around, I took in my new surroundings. It was a small, overly-normal town with post and beam-style houses topped by thatched roofs. Ponyville wasn't a metropolis like Canterlot or Manehattan, but after years of living in the frontier, seeing the same twenty ponies day in and day out, this Ponyville might as well have been Los Appelas. If I hadn't just spent four months in Canterlot, seeing a town with a city hall, stores and a proper train station would have been a culture shock.

"Hm." I grunted. It was my first time in a civilized corner of the year in almost five years, and it was under such morbid circumstances. I tossed my old, worn cavalry saddlebags onto my back and walked into the town. The citizens of Ponyville stopped and stared as I passed by them. Apparently, it was quite a sight in their sleepy little town to see a shaggy-looking soldier wearing a sabre, trotting down the street. To them, I was a stranger, and they regarded me as such. At one point, a young colt stopped and saluted with a goofy grin. I gave him a small smile and lazily continued on.

"Hellooooooo!" A somepony squealed in a high-pitched voice, startling me with its unexpectedness as much as it's volume. I froze as a bright pink filly bounded toward me. Her mane and tail were darker pink than her coat, and puffy as a damned cloud. She stopped abruptly, two inches from my face, her bright blue eyes staring at me, and her mouth locked in an enormous grin. I let out an awkward, nervous chuckle.

"Um..." I began, my eyes darting between hers.

"Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! You're _new_ here, arent you?!" She squeaked giddily.

"Uh, yeah, I mean...I suppose..." I stammered, still not sure what to make of the bubbly pink pony.

"Wooooo!" She called, running off in a mad gallop. I was already arriving at the conclusion that this town was one big stewpot of weird. I thought for a moment. Maybe it was just me. Afterall, I had been so long in a place where we had all been on guard constantly. Where death and duty were about the only experiences one could have. There sure was no time for laughing and playing around at Fort Mesquite. Well...maybe not toward the end...

"Heh..._civilians_..." I said to myself, shaking myself from a possible onset of gloom. I began walking again. I looked around for the lodging that was mentioned in my orders from Her Majesty, Princess Celestia. I finally reached back into my right saddlebag and retrieved my written orders, and read as I walked:

_'...there you will find my faithful student Twilight Sparkle. I have notified her that you will be arriving, and that you will be lodging with her during your investigation...'_

'If this Twilight Sparkle's a pupil of Princess Celestia,' I said to myself as I crossed a street, 'she's gotta be intelligent. Maybe she can help shed some light on...'

"Whoaaaaa!" Somepony called out. I looked around, seeing nothing to cause the alarm. Suddenly, I felt a heavy weight strike me hard enough to knock me off of my hooves, and send me crashing into a cart of apples, overturning the produce stand, and half-burying me in the fruit. I rolled over and stood shakily, looking around for the cannon that had fired on me.

"The hell..." I grumbled.

"Oh man, um...sorry about that, heheheh." A light blue filly chuckled, popping up out of a pile of apples. "But that was the fastest I ever...oh, you new here?"

"I guess I am..." I returned curtly, adjusting my sabre and straightening my hat. I finally noticed the careless pony's feathered wings as she stood there, smiling sheepishly. Great, a pegasus.

"You a soldier?" She asked, looking at my uniform.

"Equestrian Cavalry." I stated.

"Oh, cool! I really am sorry about that, man...um...er, sir, I mean." She stammered. She gave me a grin. I had to admit, this pony with the rainbow mane and magenta eyes _was_ kind of cute, especially for a pegasus. "So why is a cavalry soldier like you visiting Ponyville?" She asked.

"Hm. It's a confidential assignment, ma'am." I answered. "From Her Majesty the Princess. I can't say much more."

"Ooo, you mean it's a..._secret mission_?" She asked, narrowing her eyes playfully. I sighed. I gave her a deadpan look.

"Something like that." I answered dryly. I cleared my throat. "So...I hope to see you around, then?" I mentally bucked myself for sounding like I was coming onto her.

"Heehee, yeeaahhh, I'll be around. The name's Rainbow Dash. Put 'er there." She said, flying up beside me and extending a hoof. I removed my hat, sweeping it low to the ground as I bowed.

"Lieutenant Drake, 12th Equestrian Cavalry, at your service, ma'am." I said politely. To my surprise and chagrin, Rainbow Dash erupted with laughter. She clasped her front legs over her chest and kicked her back legs as she fell onto her back, giggling.

"Oh _boy_, are you some kinda knight or something, lieutenant?" She asked between laughing fits. I placed my hat back on my head, and my smile dropped. _"'At your service'. _You're funny, man." She laughed.

"Well...sorry...I was just..." I said, blushing and lightly kicking the ground. I allowed my temper to escape. "I was just trying to be polite, _thank you_!" I spat. I turned and stomped off, angry that somepony had laughed at my attempt to be nice.

"Lieutenant Drake?" Rainbow Dash called meekly. I ignored her and continued on my way. Just like a pegasus, arrogant and cocky. Just like _all _of them_. _I'd only been in town about ten minutes, and already, I'd been insulted by a cute pony. What a day it was turning out to be.

"Just gotta find this Twilight Sparkle..." I grumbled, walking down the street, looking around at the buildings, and studying the layout of the town. I wondered about the law enforcement in this place. A quiet town like this probably only had a single constable. I thought on that. An elected or granted position, more than likely. He or she probably didn't do more than handle a few minor infractions, issue verbal warnings and the such. No small-town constable was trained to deal with something like this. The princess had said nothing about working with the locals, so I would do my job to the letter. I would keep it a military matter, where I had the jurisdiction.

"Hey lieutenant, wait up!" A voice called. The same light blue pegasus from before flew up and landed beside me. "You didn't give me time to apologize, man."

"Oh." I said, rolling my eyes. "Well, apology accepted Rain...um..."

"Rainbow Dash." She stated. I nodded and began to walk away.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm on business here, and I have to find a Twilight Sparkle."

"Twilight?" The pegasus asked, perking up a bit. "You said you're looking for Twilight?"

"Yeah, you know her?" I inquired.

"Pshhh, _yeah_. She's like one of my best buds!" She answered, Figures.

"Yeah, well where does she live?" I asked impatiently.

"Oh, over there." Rainbow Dash said, pointing a hoof at a large tree near what I assumed was the town park. Looking more closely, I noticed windows and a balcony on the trunk of the huge oak tree. "I can take you." She offered.

"Huh. I'm sure I can find my way." I replied curtly.

"Hey! Just trying to be nice, pal." She said, obviously offended. I felt like I should say something. I didn't want to be a completely arrogant and hateful pony, especially to a young mare. But _why_ did she have to be a pegasus?

"I know...sorry if I was a bit harsh, ma'am, really." I admitted. "Just an old soldier, rough around the edges and all." Good excuse. "I really gotta be going though." I added. "Hope to see ya around, ma'am." She smiled. I turned and walked toward the tree house. What an assignment this was already turning out to be.

_So Drake isn't exactly happy about his new assignment just yet. And he's already met Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash...and what a way to meet, eh? Even after all he's been through, I think Pinkie may have freaked him out a little, and It doesn't look like Rainbow Dash has exactly made a good impression on Drake either, heheh. I bet you're all wondering how Drake and Twilight will get along. That will be next chapter, and don't worry. That will be up tomorrow evening or tomorrow night. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3: The Library

CHAPTER 3: The Library

_I'm back with yet another chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. No action just yet, merely more introductions and plot development. Please review, everypony._

I stood before the door of what I realized was the town library, as well as the home of Princes Celestia's student, this Twilight Sparkle. I paused, hesitating to knock for a moment, wondering what this pony may be like, and how I would handle the situation. I would be bunking here for the duration of my stay in this town, and I knew nothing about my host except for her name. If she were the personal student of Princess Celestia herself, this Twilight was probably royalty, a well-to-do mare. I hoped that she wasn't overly-pretentious, and my mind turned back to Military Academy where I'd shared a room with a regal, high born unicorn who nearly drove me insane. If this Twilight Sparkle was snooty and overbearing, my stay here was going to be miserable. I finally sighed and knocked on the door.

"Just a minute!" Came a feminine reply. A few seconds later, the door opened. I had expected a prim and proper pony to be standing before me, but instead, I found myself looking at a small purple dragon with green scales. For a moment of awkward silence, I stood there looking at it, and it stood there looking at me.

"Um...Twilight Sparkle?" I asked. Could this be the student of the princess?

"No, I'm Spike." The dragon replied. "Just a sec, and I'll get her. Twilight!" He called. "You have a visitor!" He glanced at my uniform and sabre. "Looks pretty official too!"

"What?" The female voice called. A light purple unicorn with a blue mane streaked with pink came to the door. She noticed me and smiled cordially. "Hi. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and you must be Lieutenant Dragoon Sabre of the Cavalry. Princess Celestia told me you were coming."

"Yes, yes, I am Lieutenant Dragoon Sabre, miss." I replied. "It is my pleasure to meet you, milady." I added, bowing. Twilight Sparkle giggled.

"Please, lieutenant...you don't have to do that." She said. "I'm just like everypony else, after all."

"Hm. I assumed you were a member of the Royal Court." I stated.

"Well, yes...being the personal student of Princess Celestia, I am, but you shouldn't treat me like royalty, though it was a very gentlecoltly thing to do." She seemed likable, not queeny at all. "Come in, lieutenant, come in." She stepped aside, and I entered her house.

House was hardly the word. The sign outside said library, and this certainly was a library. The walls were seemingly _made_ of bookshelves. Everywhere I looked, I beheld wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling shelves full of books. I'd always been an avid reader, and no matter where I was, I always made sure I had a small collection of books with me, but this was an amazing collection, especially for a small town library. Twilight must have seen my expression.

"Never been in a library before, lieutenant?" She asked.

"Heh, yes ma'am. This just sort of...surprised me a bit. Is all of this yours?"

"In a way, yes." She answered. "I run the library here. That's how I earn my living. Alot of these books are mine though. I had them sent here from Canterlot after I moved to Ponyville."

"Well, you certainly have quite the collection, Miss Sparkle." I commented. She giggled again.

"Do you have to call me _Miss Sparkle_, lieutenant?" She asked.

"I dunno, Miss Sparkle...I mean, what would you prefer, ma'am?" She smiled.

"You can just call me Twilight, Lieutenant Sabre."

"Well, if we're not gonna be too formal, I prefer Drake, ma'am...Twilight."

"So...Lieutenant Drake..." She began. "Princess Celestia informed me that you're a tracker pony?" The unicorn asked.

"Oh yes...tracker, hunter, and combat veteran, I guess." I replied nonchalantly.

"Oh my." Twilight gasped. "It sounds like you certainly lead an...extreme lifestyle."

"Hm...what exactly _did_ Her Majesty say about me?" I asked curiously, wondering exactly how much of my so-called 'extreme lifestyle' had been revealed in Princess Celestia's correspondence with Twilight Sparkle.

"Um, just that you're an expert tracker, and a very bril...um...very good military officer..." Did Princess Celestia call me 'brilliant'? "...and that you've been assigned to solve the..." Her voice dropped, and she looked a bit shaken. "...the missing ponies case." She sighed, and then perked up a bit. "Oh, and that you'll be staying with me as you work on the case." I sighed out my pent up fears that she may have been let in on my past. She didn't know...good.

"So..." I said. "Is there a room I can use to go over everything? I probably have a mountain of paperwork, maps, reports..."

"Sure!" Twilight replied. "You really want to get down to business, huh?" I nodded. "Alright then, follow me." She led me into a somewhat smaller room that was once again walled by bookshelves. This room was a study of sorts, and contained a large wooden desk, two chairs, a small table, and a sofa. "You can use this room for your work."

"Thank you, Twilight." I stated. "This should work just fine."

"I also have a spare guest room upstairs for you to sleep if you..."

"I can use the sofa." I interjected. "I mean...if that's alright with you." I added.

"Oh...of course..." Twilight replied with curiosity to her tone.

"I don't want to be too far from my work." I explained simply.

"Oh, okay." The unicorn librarian said, seemingly satisfied with my explanation. "Will you need anything, lieutenant?"

"Yes." I answered. "Can you please get me all the records of the missing ponies? I need police reports, newspaper articles and anything else related to the case."

"Of course!" Twilight exclaimed. "I have all of that information accumulated, sorted and filed already. I'll get it for you." With that, her horn began to glow as she charged her magic, and the lavender mare levitated several good-sized boxes of papers onto the desk. I walked over and peered inside one of the boxes. It contained files with different named on the top of the manila folders.

"You really are on top of this." I commented

"Yeah...I've tried to figure this...terrible mystery out, but..." She said, looking suddenly very sad. "I just can't...I've really tried." I had to say something. I could tell she was upset. These disappearances were happening in her own town, and not to mention that Twilight was a student of Princess Celestia, this unicorn was probably feeling practically useless in her own skin.

"It's okay ma'am." I said reassuringly. "I'm on the case now, and and I'm not going to stop until I fulfill my mission." I gave her a friendly smile. "I'm sure you did everything you could." She finally smiled back. "Now ma'am, it's time to send in the cavalry." She giggled at the bad joke.

"Do you need anything else, lieutenant?" Twilight asked.

"No ma'am." I replied. "I'd like to get started on this right away."

"I understand." My host said, dipping her head gently in a somber, dignified acknowledgment. I took out several of the folders and dropped them on the desk, then pulled a stack of police reports from another box.

"I can make some tea in a bit..." Twilight offered. I had honestly already forgotten that she was in the room.

"Huh? Oh, alright, that'll be fine." I replied, distracted by the paperwork.

"Kay..." Twilight said, walking out of the room. I looked over some of the more important parers, then realized I'd forgotten to ask for a map of the area. Scanning the room, I saw several large rolls propped up against a bookshelf by the door.

"Aha..." I muttered, and went to fish out a map of Ponyville. Knowing the lay of the land would be of utmost importance to me. As I sorted through the various maps, I heard low voices on the other side of the door. I moved closer to the door, closed my eyes, and let my trained ears tune in on the sound. It was Twilight and Spike the Dragon speaking quietly.

"He just seems so...serious..." I heard Twilight whisper. "I mean, he seems really nice, Spike...he just acts like, I dunno...like he's hiding himself away." I sighed and shook my head. _Well done, Twilight Sparkle...you really are good..._

"Maybe he's just into his work, you know?" I heard the little dragon reply. "I've seen _you_ lock yourself away with your books for days at a time. Come on, Twilight, he's probably just a lot like you."

"You're probably right, Spike." The unicorn sighed. "He _does_ seem pretty smart, and Princess Celestia sent him herself. I hope he can solve this thing...I really do."

"I'm sure he will, Twilight." Spike said.

"Huh..." I muttered, thinking a little about what I'd just heard. Then I shrugged, grabbed a map of Ponyville, and returned to my work

_So Drake is already busying himself with trying to figure out the case. You know you're bad when Twilight thinks you should loosen up a bit, eh? Will drake make any headway in this dark case? I'm sure all of my readers are awaiting yet another chapter, and I will try to get it up soon. The night is still young, so I may get the next chapter up tonight. If not, it'll be tomorrow afternoon. Hope you are liking this fic. This volume is so much more different than the previous ones, and I promise, the next is even more so as Drake's life continues to change. Please review so that I may know your judgment. Heheh. Until next time, thanks for reading, everypony._


	4. Chapter 4: A Visitor

CHAPTER 4: A Visitor

I sat in the study of Twilight Sparkle's library, pouring over newspapers, missing pony reports, census records, and stack upon stack of papers that may have had any bearing on the case, desperately searching for a lead. I hated it. I was a tracker, a hunter, a soldier. I wanted to be out in the field, following hoofprints, blood trails, and using my senses to detect every broken stick and overturned rock, not sitting in a stuffy library doing homework. It all seemed so stupid. I'm sure the police had already done this, many times over, and I was no detective.

"Ugh..." I groaned. "I guess this is better than polishing a seat with my flank." I sighed. Turning back to my work, I leafed through some more papers. These were police notes based on accounts made by the last ponies to see the missing ponies.

_'Last seen going to pick up groceries. Never came home.'_

_'Mother said missing pony went to buy cupcakes and didn't return.'_

_'Said victim had appointment and would probably return shortly...'_

"What is the link?!" I exclaimed to the empty room, dropping the papers onto the desk. I rubbed my eyes and sighed.

"Not making much progress, lieutenant?" Twilight Sparkle sighed, entering the room. I looked up from the papers to see her looking at me with a hint of concern.

"No. This is a..." I caught myself. I reminded myself that this wasn't the army, and I had to watch my language in front of civilized ponies, especially ladies. "I think Sherclop Holmes would beat his head against a wall trying to figure this one out..." I remarked.

"Oh..." She said, walking up to the table and glancing over my material. "It _is_ really confusing..." She muttered sadly. "And really sad." Twilight let out a sigh. "If somepony's doing this..."

"Gotta leave the feelings out of it, ma'am." I said. The lavender unicorn shot me an angry look. She grabbed one of the missing pony posters. It depicted a young female pony, grinning playfully from the photograph on the flyer.

"It's all _about_ the feelings, lieutenant." Twilight stated, obviously put off by my remark. "All of these ponies who've gone missing...they had friends, parents and children. Their disappearances have caused a lot of pain for the ponies who loved them. I don't know how you can't see that all this sadness is the worst part of the whole thing." Twilight looked like she was about to cry.

"I know, alright. I know all that." I replied. I sighed. "Believe me, ma'am...I know what death causes. I do. I just...I'm _sorry_, ma'am. I misspoke." I turned away from Twilight, and from my own feelings, and tried to bury my attention deep in a stack of newspaper articles.

"I'm...I'm sorry too." Twilight muttered. "I'm sure you're doing everything you can to figure this out. It's just hard to imagine what's it's like for somepony like you...a soldier, I mean. I'm sure you have your reasons..." I felt a hoof on my front leg. I looked to see Twilight smiling confidently at me, masking what pain she was no doubt feeling. "Lieutenant Drake, you'll figure this out, and bring the guilty pony to justice. I know you will!" She said. "If Princess Celestia has faith in you, then so do I!"

"Heh, thanks ma'am." I said with a small smile.

"Oh...I wanted to ask you something." Twilight began. I glanced at her curiously.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Pinkie Pie is having a party. It's sort of...well, a welcome to town party...for you."

"Pinkie Pie..." I thought for a moment. "Oh, was she the filly who screamed and ran off when I first came into town, by any chance?"

"Yeah...heheheh" Twilight chuckled. "That would be Pinkie. She's a little...different, but you get used to it.. You really ought to come. Everypony's going to be there." I frowned and looked back at the mess of papers on the desk.

"Well...I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm really busy. I do appreciate her sentiments, and her going to the trouble...but I don't really have time to socialize." Twilight's ears drooped.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"I'm sure, ma'am. Tell Miss Pinkie Pie that I send my gratitude, that I'm happy she wanted to throw me a party and all, but I cannot escape my duty here. Can you do that?"

"I can." Twilight replied, looking glum. She started to walk away, then paused for a moment. "Just...don't work too hard, okay?"

"Heh. I'll try, but no promises." I returned.

"Oh...well I'm gonna go to the party. I'll be back in a couple of hours, okay?"

"Hm?" I replied. I had already gone back to studying the materials before me. "Oh...okay. have fun, eh?"

"I will." She replied. "Take care..." With that, Twilight left the room, leaving me alone with my work.

An hour or so later, I was still busy, pouring over the criminal records of everypony in Ponyville. Surprisingly. There were few _ real _crimes. Stealing an apple. Noise violations on Pinkie Pie a couple of times. Destruction of property...Rainbow Dash.

"Heh. Doesn't surprise me." I remarked, remembering my own meeting with the pegasus. I finally stood and stretched my legs. I wondered how ponies did this...sitting at a desk all day. I walked around the library, pacing to help me work out my muscles and think. These missing ponies...different ages, different social standings...it made no sense. It was more than obvious to me, or anypony with eyes that these ponynappings weren't random incidents or coincidences. The disappearances were almost a week apart, and so far that was the only pattern that presented itself.

"A cult?" I asked out loud. "Ritual killings?" I was becoming angry. Angry at the case, and angry at myself for not being able to solve the case. "Who is _doing_ this?!" I let out an angry growl. I needed a break. I walked to the circular window in the room, and gazed out at the gathering darkness of late evening. The sun was setting behind the hills in the west. I always enjoyed sunsets. Maybe it wasn't the vibrant colors or some esoteric revelation, but merely the fact that for some reason I enjoyed watching the death of an old day, making way for better things tomorrow. Maybe. Or perhaps it was just that after all this time, I still preferred the night to the day. The day shows us for who we really are. It's easy to hide in the dark. From others. From ourselves. I scoffed, realizing how funny it was to be thinking about such things as death and hiding right now.

"Hey! Heeeyyyyy!" A voice called. I blinked. A familiar light blue pegasus was hovering outside the window.

"Rainbow Dash.?" I asked in surprise, opening the window. She flew into the library, holding a tray of cupcakes.

"Hiya, lieutenant!" She greeted. "Since you couldn't come to the party, Pinkie Pie sent some party to you." She held out a tray of white and pink frosted cupcakes. I picked one up and inspected it.

"Cupcakes, huh?" I remarked. "I haven't had a cupcake in years, heheh."

"What?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, setting the tray down on my table. "You're not serious, right? You gotta try one. Pinkie's cupcakes are famous, man!" My stomach growled as I looked at the cupcake, and I realized how hungry I really was. I took a bite and chewed slowly.

"Hmm..." I mumbled, stuffing the rest of it into my mouth. "This _is_ really good!"

"Told ya!" Rainbow Dash said matter-of-factly. She picked up one of the cupcakes and tossed it into the air, catching it in her mouth. "Pinnkeh Puhz cuhcakes rr er own foogwooph." She said with her mouthful of cake. I gave her a deadpan look, and she gulped and smiled. "Heehee...sorry." My mouth turned up into a smile. This pegasus was so cute...

"So...what do you do?" I asked, making some small talk as I picked up another cupcake.

"I'm head of the Ponyville weather team." She bragged. "I move clouds and a bust clouds, and I'm the bestest and fastest flier around!" She added proudly.

"Ohhh..." I said comically.

"Well, what do _you_ do?" She asked with a confident grin.

"Hmm...follow orders, mostly." I replied with a shrug. "But that's the military, I guess."

"Well, I think the military is pretty awesome." The pegasus said, tossing me another cupcake. I took a bite and nodded.

"It _can_ be, I suppose..." I replied thoughtfully. "One makes a lot of comrades in the military...and _buries_ a lot of comrades." I saw her ears droop, and she was silent a moment.

"I...I never thought of that..." She muttered. I kind of felt bad for saying what I did. I was known for being blunt, but maybe I had crossed the line there.

"Sorry." I stated. "That was...unwarranted."

"Yeah, it's...it's alright." Rainbow Dash replied. "I was probably a little...we don't get a lot of big army officers in Ponyville."

"Oh...big _important_ military officers, huh?" I grinned. "I'm only a lieutenant." She giggled.

"You're cavalry, right?" She asked.

"Yup. About six years in the cav, and I spent the last five at a fort on the frontier."

"Sounds wicked exciting." She said.

"Mostly boring work." I replied. "Days, even weeks at a time out in the middle of nowhere with the same ponies. You don't see action...nothing happens. Then, there's a moment of adrenaline and danger. Then it's back to the same boring routine. A pony can pop off from the boredom and the stress." I said, tapping the side of my head with my hoof.

"Whoa." Rainbow Dash said, entranced by my account. _ If only you knew._ She glanced over at the desk where all of my papers were piled, and her magenta eyes grew wide. I stepped between her and the desk.

"So, you like working with the weather?" I asked quickly.

"You're here to solve the missing ponies case, aren't you?!" She exclaimed, her voice breaking cutely. I sighed, and stepped aside.

"Huh. You got me, I guess." I said cynically. She looked at me a moment.

"Oh man! It's supposed to be all top secret, isn't it?" She gasped, her eyes wide, as if she'd just committed some capital offense.

"Just...let it be our little secret, alright, Miss Dash?" I said with a wink. She blushed and dipped her head.

"Heh...yeah...you can..." Rainbow Dash muttered. She cleared her throat and grinned. "You can count on me!" She said dutifully. Something about this filly just...I don't know...made me want to blush? I smiled back, and we stood in silence. This was getting awkward.

"So...you say you...like the military?" I asked. I turned and started shuffling and organizing some of the paperwork, mostly as a distraction.

"Yep!" She called from behind me. _Close_ behind me. Startled, I turned around quickly, and found myself face-to-face with Rainbow Dash. Literally...as in our noses were almost touching.

"Yeep!" She squeaked, backing off quickly. Her cheeks turned a bright red. I quickly turned back to the desk, my own face feeling hot, my heart pounding.

"Oh damn! Um...sorry!" I blurted out, still facing away.

"I um...heeheehee..." She said in a trembling voice. "Um...maybe I should go..." The nervous pony whispered.

"No." I said quickly. "I mean...um...you don't have to, miss...I mean..."

"Um...lieutenant...um...you can call me Rainbow." She interjected. Rainbow averted her eyes, and in a voice so low I could barely hear her added "...or Dashie."

"Mm, okay...Rainbow." I said. "Call me Drake."

"Oh. Okay...eheh...Drake." She said with a small smile on her face. Then, we were silent again.

"So...you want to join the Royal Equestrian Cavalry, Rainbow?" I asked. "Think I might get a bonus or something if I talk somepony into it, I dunno."

"Nope! I'm gonna be a Wonderbolt!" Rainbow exclaimed with glee, thrusting a hoof into the air dramatically.

"Heh. Cloud jockeys." I mused. Rainbow narrowed her eyes angrily.

"And what's wrong with the Wonderbolts, exactly?" She asked in an acid tone.

"Heheh. Nothin'. We ust have a saying in the Royal Cavalry," I answered. "Air Defense does the flyin' while cav does the dyin'."

"Wha...I...well HMPF!" Rainbow exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. She stared flying slowly toward the window. I knew I'd made her really mad, and cursed myself for dredging up old inter-service rivalry in the middle of a civilized conversation.

"Damnit..." I whispered. _'Let her go, Drake. Stop flirting with her. You know nothing good will come of it. Get back to work.'_ My mind told me. She reached the open window, still pouting.

"Hey...Rainbow?" I said meekly. Meekly...I'm about as meek as a howitzer, and half as graceful.

"What?!" She answered angrily, looking back at me. I thought I saw her bottom lip tremble.

"I'm sorry." I said with a sigh. "You and me...we're gonna have to stop insulting each other every damned time we meet." She gave me a weak smile.

"I know, right?" She sighed in return. She fluttered back over and dropped to her hooves.

"I got a feeling we're both a couple of firebrands." I said.

"Heheheh..." She chuckled.

"Come on, admit it now, you're pretty feisty." I smiled, nudging her playfully.

"Yeah...I can be." Rainbow admitted with a coy smile. "Comes with being awesome, ya know?" I rolled my eyes. "And besides, you can be wicked blunt about things, lieutenant."

"I know." I said, somewhat proudly. "Let's just agree to try not to piss each other off all the time. Heh. Can't do that if we're gonna be..."

"Besties."

"Friends." We spoke at the same time. "Ha!" I laughed.

"Oh shut up!" Rainbow joked, sticking her tongue out at me.

"Well now, I dunno if I can be besties with a zoomie now..."

"Hey!" Rainbow squeaked, playfully slugging my shoulder. Still kind of hurt. "Beats being an army mule!" She grinned evilly. I couldn't help it anymore. I was smitten. With a damned pegasus. Oh the irony.

"Guess what?" I asked, sounding dead serious.

"What?" Rainbow replied, her eyes wide.

"Chicken...butt." I said, matter-of-factly, my straight face starting to twist up into a grin. "BAWKAWK!" I screamed, flapping my front legs like ineffectual wings. I looked to see Rainbow Dash crouched down, ready to pounce.

"You're...so...dead, lieutenant." She growled playfully. This filly made me feel like a young colt, and I loved it. I galloped to the other side of the desk.

"Don't move..." I mockingly said to myself, feigning fear. "Wonderbolts have the visual acuity of a frog. Can't see us if we don't move."

"Ha!" She exclaimed, leaping the table. I sidestepped, and she landed landed where I had just been standing. She twitched her flank and charged again. Even though I was taller, and half-again her weight, she tackled me to the floor like a Greenhay Packmules quarterback.

"Gotcha!" She yelled triumphantly.

"Nope!" I exclaimed, rolling us both over. Now I had her pinned under me. "Got _you_!" To my surprise, Rainbow stopped kicking, and looked into my eyes, breathing heavily.

"Wow...you have pretty eyes." She whispered. I stared back into her own pretty eyes. I felt myself almost speechless.

"You...you have...hell, you're just plain pretty." I panted.

"Drake?" She said in a nervous tone. She moved her mouth up, closer to mine. I closed my eyes, and moved down closer to her. Our lips met, pressing together softly in a short kiss. Then another. Finally, I rolled Rainbow on top of me and held her close in a deep, lingering kiss.

_Romance is in bloom! Or is it? As Drake and Dash will find out soon, there's a difference between love and a moment of passion. Hope everypony enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to have the next up later tonight, or tomorrow sometime. Just depends on what I have to do. So until next time, thanks for reading, and please review! _


	5. Chapter 5: On The Case

CHAPTER 5: On the Case

_No, I don't think Drake and Dash hooked up last chapter. That was just a moment of passion, heheh. Notice anything disturbingly familiar though? The moment between Drake and Dash in the library was eerily similar to how Drake and Spring acted toward each other. I think he figures this out in this chapter. What revelation will he come to about his love life...or the case he's supposed to be working on? Hope you enjoy._

I awoke the next morning to somepony tapping me on the shoulder. I groaned and rolled over where I lay, and regained unconsciousness. A few moments later, the same pony began shaking me lightly.

"Huh...mmm...Dash..." I groaned.

"Um...it's...it's Twilight, lieutenant...Twilight Sparkle?" I was suddenly very much awake.

"Wha...oh...Miss, sorry!" I exclaimed. Twilight raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Dash?" She inquired. "You've...um...met Rainbow Dash, I guess?" I felt my cheeks getting flush. A white coat is _not_ the best color to hide blushing. The events of the night before came flooding back into my memory in great detail. I quickly stood and looked around the library for the light blue pegasus I had spent half the night making out with, but she was gone. "Um...Lieutenant Drake?" Twilight asked, staring at me curiously.

"Oh, um...yes." I replied, clearing my throat. "Sorry ma'am, I must have passed out here doing...research, you know? Miss Dash stopped by last night and brought me a platter of cupcakes. It was very swe...um...kind of her. Um...for a pegasus, you know?"

"Mmhmm..." Twilight replied., her eyebrow still upturned. I grinned innocently. "Well, I was thinking about making us some breakfast before you start the day. It's important to have a well balanced breakfast, you know?"

"Well, thank you, ma'am." I replied, "But I really need to get to work." I noticed the unicorn was looking concerned again. I spied the platter Dash had brought still sitting on the desk. "There! I think I'll have a couple of these cupcakes." I picked one up, and gestured to Twilight with the frosted cake. "This Pinkie Pie really knows her sweets."

"She does make good cupcakes." Twilight agreed, perking up a little as I bit into the cake. "They're really the talk of the town." I nodded, chewing the frosted mass of chocolate bliss. I took a few moments to simply enjoy my breakfast. The cupcakes were really delicious, rich and moist with a hint of something...something familiar. I couldn't quite...

"Hey Twilight," Spike called, entering the room. "Rainbow Dash is outside. She wants to see the lieutenant about something. Twilight glanced back at me questioningly, and I grinned innocently again.

"Oh yes...Miss Dash was going to...um..._assist_ me with something today." I quickly grabbed another cupcake. "Heheh...I shall return, as the general said." I quickly pulled on my hat, and grabbed my sword belt, throwing it around me hastily as I hurried out of the room, leaving a very confused Twilight Sparkle and Spike behind.

Outside, I spotted Rainbow Dash balancing on a fence post on one hoof. Her back to me, she didn't notice me standing there, and I watched her a moment, carefully balancing. I suddenly felt conflicted. My heart fluttered whenever I saw this pretty, tomboyish pegasus. I knew that I was falling in love with Rainbow, but how could I? It could never work, could it? Me, a dishonored soldier, a pony with no friends, no family, no future, and her a weather team captain, and probably a future Wonderbolts commander...

"Hey DraaAHHH!" She cried out, loosing her balance and falling to the ground. Rainbow immediately jumped to her hooves and giggled nervously. I sighed. Why did she have to be so damned cute?

"Oh...good morning, Rainbow." I said, trying to sound happy. She let her smile drop, and kicked at the ground softly.

"Hey, um...Drake, I wanted to talk about..." She began quietly, hey eyes focused on the ground beneath her. I began to walk, and the pegasus moved up beside me at a trot.

"Yeah...I was thinking about...well..." I said in a low voice, not sure exactly how to go about talking about this.

"Last night..." We both said in unison. We met eyes a moment, then looked away as we kept walking together away from the library.

"Maybe we got a little...carried away?" Rainbow muttered.

"Mm." I said, keeping my eyes locked straight ahead as we made our way through town. I finally glanced over and noticed that she still wasn't flying. She was simply walking alongside me. There was silence between us for a long moment, and I was sort of surprised that she didn't just leave.

"You okay?" I asked. She sighed.

"I guess." She quietly said. Now I felt really bad.

"Hey Dash?"

"Yeah?" She answered morosely.

"I'd..." I took a deep breath. "I'd like to have you along with me...during my investigation, you know?" I said. She gave me a little smile.

"Heh, you mean like an assistant?" She asked.

"Yeah, maybe...but how about more like a friend?" I replied.

"I'd like that, Drake." She said, sounding more like her usual self. We walked for a little while in silence.

"So, you know anypony who's been acting suspicious?" I asked.

"Suspicious?" Rainbow asked curiously.

"You know, acting different. Lurking around after dark, mood swings, things like that?" I explained.

"No...not really. Everypony in town pretty much knows everypony else." She answered.

"So there's no new ponies in town? Strangers?"

"Besides you?" Rainbow smirked. "No, I haven't seen any. And Pinkie hasn't thrown any welcome parties lately besides yours."

"Hm." I thought. "Wild animals? Monsters? Magical portal stuff?"

"Magic portal stuff?" Rainbow asked incredulously. "Really?"

"Oh for Celestia's sake...I'm an earth pony. I don't know the first thing about magic. Hence the sabre?" I said, rattling my sword. Rainbow giggled.

"Heheh...and no...I mean, that stuff is kind of Twilight's job. If there was any weird magic or monsters, Twi would've been all over it."

"Ah...so Twilight Sparkle sort of protects the town?" I asked.

"Yeah, totally!" Rainbow answered. "Well, we all do. Twilight, me, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy. We're the Elements of Harmony, you know!"

"Oh, I didn't know." I mean, I've heard of you all...you're the ponies who stopped Nightmare Moon and Discord, right? I read it in the papers."

"Yep! And Twilight's the smartest, being a bookworm and all, and she knows some pretty rad magic, so she's sort of the leader. She's kinda like..."

"The town sheriff?" I grinned.

"Yeah, that's one way to put it."

"Wait!" I said, holding out a hoof to halt Rainbow. I looked around to make sure we were fairly alone. A tan earth pony stallion with and hourglass cutie mark walked past. I waited until he was out of earshot. "Is there somepony..,anypony who might have a problem with Twilight? Some...rival? Somepony she's defeated in battle or something, or anypony she's pissed off lately?" Rainbow thought for a moment.

"Trixie!" She exclaimed.

"Who?"

"Trixie!" Rainbow repeated. "She's this unicorn who does dumb stage magic and stuff. She came to town trying to show off how powerful she was. Twi showed her up good!"

"A magical unicorn of some power who holds a grudge against the town protector, and nopony thought to tell me this?!" I complained.

"Sorry Drake...I didn't even really think about it until now." Rainbow Dash said with a nervous grin. "Yeah, yeah...I get it...that's why you're the experienced army officer in charge of the investigation, and I'm just the awesome and talented assistant."

"Awesome, huh?" I grinned. "We feeling a bit self assured?"

"You mean self confident." Rainbow stated.

"Where does she live?" I asked

"Huh?"

"Trixie? Our _suspect_? Where does she live?"

"Oh, heehee...sorry...she lives somewhere at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Nopony really knows where."

"Ugh...it'll probably take days to find her..." I muttered. I paused, an idea popping into my head. An idea that would definitely inflate Rainbow's ego even more than it already was. "...unless a certain zoomie feels like lending an old army mule some air support?" She gave me a look of surprise.

"Heh. You don't have to ask me twice! Now watch the fastest flier in Equestria find your pony!" With that, she shot up into the sky so fast, I found it hard to track her with my own eyes. I had no idea she was really that good. I saw her pause in midair, do a quick loop-de-loop, and streak off to the south, leaving a brilliant rainbow contrail in her wake. I was _very_ impressed. My heart seemed to beat a little faster. I shook my head violently. _Stand down, lieutenant._

"Focus on your duty." I ordered myself in a whisper. I was here to solve a crime, by order of Princess Celestia, no less. That was all. And when I was finished, I would probably be assigned a desk job again, or maybe not. I thought about it. Maybe if I succeeded, Princess Celestia would place me back in the field, in a real position again. That thought just made me feel depressed again. I would never accept another field assignment again. Never. Not another command...not after...that. Then I'd go back to Canterlot, and never see Ponyville or Rainbow Dash again. Good. No more of this...higglety pigglety friendship stuff. No more pure chemical romances to destroy my life. No more...Rainbow? Why did this thought make me feel worse?

"Hey Drake!" Rainbow's tomboyish voice called from above. She swooped down and flew in a slow circle around me.

"You find anything?" I asked.

"Nope!" Rainbow stated. She grinned. "I found _everything_."

"Well, where is she?" I asked impatiently.

"Just follow me." Rainbow replied. As she flew away, I had to move at a quick trot just to keep up with her. She'd fly ahead some distance, then do a couple of barrel-rolls and loops, waiting on me to catch up. Entering part of the wild and overgrown Everfree Forest, she began flying around and in between the trees. By now, I was fully winded.

"You're...doing this...on purpose..." I panted.

"Aww, come on, Drake..." Dash taunted. "I thought the cavalry...oof!" She exclaimed as she flew backwards into a briar patch. I trotted up to the thicket and gave the pegasus a lackluster stare. She forced an embarrassed smile, and whimpered.

"You see where too much pride'll get you?" I muttered.

"I guess I...ow...got a little...ouch...reckless..."

"That's a dangerous thing." I stated.

"Naw...it's just...OW...just a little briar bush." She replied.

"No, damnit...that's not what I...ugh, nevermind." I sighed. "Stop thrashing around. You'll just make it worse." I pulled my cavalry sabre and began hacking at the vines.

"Heheh...um...oh man...um...be careful with that." Dash stammered nervously.

"Oh." I said cynically, giving the tangled Dash a playful grin. "Don't trust the greatest swordspony in all of Equestria?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, ha ha." She said dryly. I slashed at a few of the vines, then with a final stroke, cut the briar vines holding Rainbow. With a cry, sh fell on top of me. She lay there a moment, then chuckled nervously. I stood up shakily, with her still on my back, promptly tripped over a root, and we tumbled to the ground, this time with Rainbow on her back, and me laying on top of her. Her magenta eyes widened, and she blushed and let out a nervous whimper. I felt my own face grow warm, and I quickly rolled off of her. We got to our hooves and dusted ourselves off. I replaced my sabre into its steel sheath and sighed.

"Sorry..." I muttered, looking away from Rainbow.

"Yeah...I mean no...I..." Dash stammered. I looked back to her. She was visibly shaken, and her face was red as a beet. She whimpered again.

"Dash..." I said softly.

"Trixie lives near here...in fact, it's right this way!" She exclaimed, trotting off. This was getting ridiculous. I sighed and followed Rainbow Dash through the forest, my mind lost in conflicting thoughts. This pegasus always acted so nervous around me. I didn't want to admit it, but it was so damned obvious that she was seriously attracted to me. So there was _that_. Was I attracted to her? I thought about it as I cantered along behind her as she moved wordlessly toward our destination. I felt a deep, cavernous feeling in my chest, a heavy feeling of dread and impending doom. No, I wasn't attracted to her...I was in _love_ with Rainbow Dash. I mentally cursed myself. No...not again. Please...not again. Not another Spring...please...

"A gift sir. From all of us." Sergeant Hardtack said with a grin. The old soldier reached into the box and pulled out a brand new hat. He handed it over to me, and suddenly I was there, taking it into my hooves and looking it over. A perfect gray...the right side pinned up with a solid gold star inside a wreath...a single black griffon feather sticking from the upturned brim. The tasseled hat cord. It was beautiful. I placed it on my head and couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you...all of you." I said graciously.

"Well, you deserve it, sir." Hardtack replied with a nod.

"And it's the least we could do, lieutenant." Picket added. "You've been the best commander any of us have ever known...heh, or probably ever will." Private Apple Dumplin' approached and saluted me.

"Sir, if I may speak freely...alot of us rank and file, we don't get too fond a' officers. To tell ya the truth, a lot of 'em's nothing but know-nothin' know-it-alls with big heads." The troopers chuckled. "You sir...you been like a brother to us...maybe like a father to some of us..." The young soldier glanced down at the ground nervously a moment. "We'd follow ya anywhere, lieutenant. It's an honor to serve under you...sir." He saluted again, and I returned the gesture, trying to at least _look_ like I was in control of my emotions.

"And honor returned, private." I replied.

"Happy birthday, lieutenant." Apple Dumplin' said.

"Happy Birthday, sir!" My troopers called.

"Drake?" Somepony called. I shook myself from my memories. Rainbow was standing in front of me, looking at me curiously. "Um...you okay? You kinda...blanked out there..."

"Yeah..." I sighed. "Yeah, I'm alright..."

"You sure, dude?" She pressed. I let out a growl.

"Yeah. I'm good. We close yet, Dash?!" I asked coldly. Her ears drooped a bit, and she looked a bit hurt by my outburst.

"Yeah...we are...it's right up here. I'm...sorry, Drake." She replied meekly. She stood aside and let me walk ahead.

_So Drake is officially on the case, tracking down leads and investigating suspects. At this point thous, it seems that's all he really cares about. Sorry to pop your bubble if you were thinking a Drake/Dash romance was going to blossom in the fifth chapter. If you remember, Drake didn't take to Spring until...well, until almost the end. And look what happened. I will try to get the next chapter up tomorrow sometime...if I can. Trixie's in it, just in case there are any fans out there, and more of Drake being closed off to anything warm and fuzzy. So thanks for reading. I would really appreciate a review or two...at least tell me you hate it or something, eh? See you next chapter everypony._


	6. Chapter 6: Questions

CHAPTER 7: Questions

We approached the small carnival-looking trailer set in the clearing near the edge of the forest, and at first glance, I began to speculate on how big a showpony this Trixie really was. Dash had followed me silently for the rest of our walk, and now wouldn't look me in the eyes. Whatever...I would deal with _that_ later. Right now, I was doing my job. I adjusted my hat and stepped up on the small set of steps on the side of the trailer, and thumped heavily on the door. I was immediately met with a response.

"Who seeks the great and powerful Trixie?" A female voice called haughtily. I glanced back at Rainbow, who just shrugged.

"It's the cavalry. Official Business." I stated loudly.

"Well, The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't care if it's the cavalry, the Royal Guard or the Wonderbolts. Make an appointment." Oh...one of _those_ types.

"How about I kick the damned door down, come in there and drag 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' out here?!" I growled angrily. The door swung open, revealing a medium blue unicorn with a blue and white mane standing before me, looking very, very mad.

"And _then_ what do you propose doing, you vile little soldier?!" Trixie asked lowly, charging her horn. I stood my ground.

"Maybe arresting you in the name of the Princess of the Sun, and carting you off to _prison_!" I yelled right in her face. The transformation was instantaneous. The magic in her horn quite literally fizzled out with a few crackling sparks. Her eyes grew wide, and she grew pale at my statement.

"Arrest...pris...prison...oh no, what did I do?" Trixie stammered, stepping back into her trailer. I motioned for Dash to follow me, and walked into Trixie's home.

"Exactly...what _did_ you do, Miss Trixie?" I asked coldly, pacing in front of the unicorn. Rainbow Dash sat right in the doorway, leaned up against the door frame casually. Perfect Dash, make it appear that we have the muscle here.

"I...I...I don't know what's going on!" Trixie whined fearfully. "Is this about the Ursa Minor thing? I thought that was in the past and..."

"This is about the disappearance and possible murder of at least a dozen ponies!" I exclaimed.

"Mur...Murder?! Oh Celestia...no...it wasn't me!"

"The perfect way to get back at Twilight, right Trixie?" Dash spat. Trixie began to shake. She sat back against the wall and slumped down.

"And magic makes it really easy to kidnap ponies without being seen and hide the bodies, right?" I added. To my surprise, the egotistical unicorn broke down and started sobbing loudly.

"I didn't...I...please don't arrest meeeee..." She pleaded.

"Tell me what you know then." I said calmly. Trixie looked up at me with tears in her purple eyes.

"All I know is that some ponies have gone missing..." Trixie replied sadly, sniffling and trying to control her crying enough to answer me. "Yeah, I've had my problems with Twilight Sparkle, but...I swear...I'd _never_ hurt anypony. Never!" She began to tear up again. "It's so awful...I don't know who could do something so...so...evil." She began crying softly. "It wasn't me...you have to believe me..." I looked at Dash, and shrugged. She returned the gesture, and I sighed.

"It's okay, Miss Trixie..." I said. "It's clear that you don't know anything about the disappearances." She looked up at me with the questioning eyes of a foal. "Maybe we were a bit too...harsh with you. For that, I apologize. I'm...sorry, ma'am." She sniffled.

"It's...it's okay...I mean, I guess my behavior made me a suspect..." She admitted. "And I shouldn't have been so...confrontational with you, detective."

"Lieutenant." I said.

"Lieutenant." She said, corrected. I smiled to show her I wasn't against her. She returned a small smile. "So you are a...military officer?"

"As I said before," I stated. "Cavalry."

"But you're investigating this...yeah..."

"I am. By order of Her Majesty Princess Celestia." I returned.

"Wow. You must be really important then." Trixie said. I detected a hint of admiration in her voice.

"Not really, ma'am." I replied. "Just the pony picked for the mission." I cleared my throat. Enough chit chat. "So there's nothing at all you can think of that may help us?" I asked She thought for a moment, "Anypony or anything that may have the power to pull something like this off?"

"Something this...awful and...dark?" Trixie returned. "No...no...I mean, even the most _foul_ of magical creatures would simply kill and devour ponies, not..."

"Make them disappear without a trace?" I finished. She nodded sadly.

"Yes. I just...don't know."

"Well, if you hear anything or see anything suspicious, contact me as soon as possible, okay?" I asked.

"How do I reach you, lieutenant...I mean...if I have information?" The blue unicorn asked with a smile.

"I'm currently staying at...well..." This was awkward. "You can find me at Twilight Sparkle's library for the duration of my investigation, ma'am."

"Oh..." Trixie said in a disappointed tone. "You know, lieutenant...um..."

"Drake, ma'am" I answered.

"Drake..." She repeated, as if she were tasting the name as she spoke it, and liking it. She looked me in the eyes. "Drake, if you wanted, I could help you. I have some of the greatest magic in the land." She was now giving me a sweet smile. What was going on here? "I mean...if you wanted..." She gently twirled a lock of her light blue mane in her hoof.

"Um, well I...Oh!" I choked.

"Alright, lieutenant!" Dash interrupted. "I hate to rush you, but we have more...more _suspects_ and junk to see. We gotta go now!" She grabbed my sabre belt and tugged, leading me outside. "Sorry for bothering you, Trixie. We won't be intruding again and stuff. See ya later..."

"What the..." I got out before I found myself standing outside with Dash. I looked at her questioningly. She rolled her eyes and groaned. Did Rainbow Dash just get annoyed that Trixie had been flirting with me? Was she actually jealous? I let out a sigh, and decided to ignore the entire thing. The pegasus was facing away from me now, kicking at small pebbles on the ground.

"So Rainbow...where now?" I asked.

"Huh...oh..." Dash muttered somewhat dejectedly. "Have you like...looked into the whole Discord thing yet?"

"Discord?" I asked. "Like the lord of chaos, Discord?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah. The last time he escaped, well...you probably heard about it." Rainbow Dash explained as we began to walk back toward town.

"I was out on the frontier at the time." I reminded her. "All the fallout we got was that the days and nights got a little out of sorts for a couple days. But I did hear about the whole thing in the papers. He caused quite the fuss, didn't he?"

"Yep, until we were able to imprison Discord in stone again using the Elements of Harmony." It still impressed me that Rainbow Dash was the bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony. This cocky, tomboyish, and dare I say _lovelorn_ pegasus was part of the most powerful weapon in the world. _That _was something to think on. From what I had heard about the Elements, if Dash ever got her magic on, she alone would probably be more powerful than the entire cavalry. Together, the six bearers were damn near unstoppable. I cocked my head a little as I thought about it. Okay...Dash was pretty amazing. She was fast, strong, and very willful. If anypony were to wield such power, I'd have to chose her too. Twilight, I understood that too. The other bearers, I hadn't met yet, save for Pinkie Pie. How _she_ was an element bearer...

"So, you want to check out the Discord thing?" She asked

"Huh? Oh, no...I think if it were that troublemaker, I would have been informed by the Princess, so...probably not." I replied stoically.

"Oh." The pegasus said. She stared at me like she was expecting something more. I exhaled sharply.

"What?" I asked nonchalantly. Dash's eyes lowered to the ground.

"Drake, I..."She said almost in a whisper. "nevermind..."

"For Celestia's sake, Rainbow..." I groaned. "Spit it out!"

"I've been wondering something." She finally began. _The answer is 'no', Dash. No, Luna Damn it._ "Praytell, Dash?"

"You...I mean, I know you're an awesome soldier and all..." _Yes...awesome...if only you knew, zoomie._ "But you act so...alone." Damn. Why did my stomach feel like it had dropped to the ground? "You're always so distant and stuff." She added, looking at me with sad eyes.

"I...I..." I choked out. I cleared my throat, and was sure she saw my pained wince. "I highly suggest against this line of...questioning." I said coldly. I began to walk back toward Ponyville.

"What are your friends like, Drake?" Dash asked. Trotting up behind me.

"No." I simply said. She paused, confused.

"Come on, I bet your friends are really cool." She said. I sighed loudly.

"Rainbow Dash, could yo please just shut up? I don't have any _friends_, okay? Not one! No friends, no chums, no buddies and no pals. Now drop it!"

"Drake!" Rainbow cried out. The next thing I knew, the raibow-maned pegasus had grabbed me around the neck in a hug. She looked at me like she had just found out I was about to die or something. "That's just not right, man!" She exclaimed. "How can somepony like you not have any friends?!" I buried my emotions deep, even though they wanted to all come screaming out then and there. I clamped my eyes shut and gritted my teeth. No...not the memories. Not that...

"Dash, get off!" I screamed, breaking her hold on me. She stared at me, tears forming in her magenta eyes. "Just...just stop it. Please stop it!" I cried. "I don't have...any...friends! No family. No friends. I'm alone, alright?! I'm perfectly fine alone!" I growled and kicked a stone. "I can handle this investigation by myself, so anytime you feel like going, then...I guess you can go." I turned away and started to walk away.

"I don't...feel like...going." Dash stated through clenched teeth. She had flow in front of me, and now had a look of determination on her tear-streaked face. "I'm helping you on this mission, and I'm not leaving you to be all alone...and by the way, Lieutenant Drake?"

"What?!" I sighed.

"You _do_ have a friend." She stated. I didn't know what to say for a few moments.

"Yeah, okay." I said. "Suit yourself. You want to stand by me on this thing? Fine. We'll see the investigation through to the end. Then, I'm gone. So don't get too attached." Why did that statement make me feel so bad? "And another thing...drop the questions about my family and friends. To you, I'm nopony. I have no past, okay? Just bucking appeared here out of the blue, got it?" Dash sniffled, and she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Okay Drake...sure...whatever you say." She fell in behind me as we made our way into town.

_I don't have much to say about this chapter except that I hope you all enjoyed it. Next chapter will be about the halfway point to the story, and once it's over...I've written a great many fics about Drake and his life with his family...but I dunno if I'll have the heart to write them. Too much stuff going on in my life right now. This may be the last Drake story for a long while...maybe for years, maybe forever. So that's that...I'll get the next chapter up soon, I guess. Thanks for reading_


	7. Chapter 7: Detective Work

CHAPTER 7: Detective Work

_I'm back with another chapter. I'm really starting to feel like Drake does in this story at this moment in my life. Ah well, you all know the drill, everypony...thanks for reading...hope you enjoy...please review and all that. _

"What's that?" Dash asked as I pulled a folded map from my saddlebag. It was the map I had taken from Twilight's library for my investigation, and now I unfolded it and sat it on the grass in front of us.

"A map." I stated matter-of-factly.

"Pshh." I can see _that_. She remarked. If we were going to work together on this case, there was no sense in me completely ignoring her, nor in Dash being depressed.

"It's a map of Ponyville and the surrounding area." I explained. "See those red marks? Those are the homes or lodgings of all the ponies who've gone missing. I've been trying to find a pattern, but so far...nothing." Dash looked over the map herself.

"That's actually pretty awesome...I mean, trying to find a pattern and all. I'd have never thought of that." She said thoughtfully.

"You? Probably not." I said wryly.

"Hey!" She said defensively. I finally gave her a small grin. "Oh shut up." She said, rolling her eyes. She probably thought I was schizophrenic at this point, joking with her one moment and brushing her off the next. I admit, I really liked Rainbow Dash. Maybe a little _too_ much. That was the problem. Part of me wanted to be really kind to her, to joke around with her and just be friends...and maybe even more. But for her sake and mine, it could never happen. I had to keep her at leg's length, keep this professional. Anything else, and we'd both regret it. We'd both end up hurt, right?

"So, I think we should visit the families of some of these missing ponies and see if there's anything they may have forgotten in their reports to the police." I looked up at my assistant. "Can you handle this, Rainbow?"

"Yeah, sure. Why?" She asked.

"You ever lost anypony close to you?" I queried.

"N...no...I mean, well...Granny Cirrus, but that was when I was too young to really know..." She let her ears droop. "Oh."

"Yeah. Some of these ponies are going to be really upset when we start asking about their missing loved ones. I'll ask you again. Can you handle it?" Dash looked into my eyes a moment.

"Can _you_?" She rebutted. Damn, she was good.

"I have to." I stated. "It's my job, so yeah, I can handle it."

"Then so can I." Dash replied. "Besides, somepony has to stay with you to make you more...pony friendly." She gave me a mean-looking smile.

"Oh, are we talking about the whole Trixie episode?"

"Yes, we are." Dash said. "Kicking in doors and yelling and junk. You gotta chillax, man."

"Chillax?" I repeated incredulously, pausing folding the map to stare at Rainbow. "Did you seriously, in all due respect, in sound and sober mind...just tell me to chillax?" Dash put a hoof to her mouth, stifling a laugh, only to make herself snort. "Chillax..." I repeated in a whisper, putting the map back into my saddlebag. I couldn't help but chuckle a little. "_You_ chillax, zoomie!" I exclaimed, jutting a hoof at Dash. She began laughing hysterically. I was rather enjoying this whole thing. "I...am _very_ chillax...laxed..." I said in an uppity voice. She continued to laugh.

"Oh...my...Celestia..." Dash laughed. "You can...ahahaha...be so...hahaha...so immature!"

"Well isn't that the same thing as chillaxification?" I asked cynically.

"Chillaxifi...that's not even a _word_!" Dash argued.

"Neither is chillax!" I replied.

"It so _is_!" She exclaimed.

"Hm. Not in the cavalry...must be some weird Wonderbolts thing." I said innocently with a shrug.

"Shut up!" Dash squeaked, punching my shoulder. "That's really mean." Defensive much?

"You really respect them, huh?" I asked.

"Um yeah! They're the coolest unit in the military!"

"Oh thanks a lot!" I deadpanned.

"Oh, um...you know what I mean, Drake. The cavalry is awesome, it really is. So is the Unicorn Corps. But I gotta back my team, yaknow?" She smiled, extending her wings. "The Wonderbolts are the coolest, and once I get in, I'm gonna make 'em 20% cooler!"

"Heh. And I believe you will." I said with a smile.

"You really think so?" She asked seriously. She cocked her head slightly to the side and looked me in the eyes. Was that...was I seeing a small hint of uncertainty in her self-confidence?

"Yeah. I've seen and led a lot of soldiers...and I think you got what it takes to be one of the best. Heck, with your headstrong attitude, you'd even make a good squad leader some day."

"Wow...thanks, Drake." Rainbow smiled. "You know, it's kinda been my dream to be a Wonderbolt for...like ever. Since I was a foal, actually."

"Woah..." I replied. "You really _are_ committed." She grinned.

"Were you like that with the cavalry?" She asked. We started walking toward our first destination.

"Dash...rather not talk about it." I replied.

"Aww, come on. I'm not prying into your personal life...just your professional one." I stopped and looked to my left to see Dash giving me a sly grin.

"Alright..." I sighed. "I'll bite." I started walking again. "Never really gave it much thought back then. I was just good with swords and had a knack for military matters, you know?"

"Uh-huh."

"I did well enough in school, and my adopted dad being a Royal Guard, I was around the military growing up, so I guess it kinda took. Know what I mean?"

"Adopted dad?" Dash asked. Hm...well _that's_ out of the bag now. Oh well, not really an issue.

"Yes, Rainbow. I was adopted by a Royal Guard. Silver Cutlass was his name. He was sergeant in the guard, and taught me how to use swords. When I was older, he put me in the academy, and I became a cavalry lieutenant. That's about the story of my life summed up. Happy?"

"Oh." She said. Rainbow was quiet a moment. "What's Silver Cutlass like?" _Damn you, Rainbow Dash._ I sighed.

"He was a good pony...and a good soldier." I replied stoically.

"Was? Where is he now?" She asked. I clenched my teeth.

"Dead."

"What?!" Dash exclaimed.

"Dash! No prying, remember?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Dash." I said in a warning tone. She whimpered. "He died on duty. Accident. Now shut up about it, 'kay?"

"Yes, Drake." She muttered dejectedly.

"Hm. Okay, what about you, Dash? I asked. "What's your family like?"

"I dunno." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't really speak to them much since I moved out and stuff."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it's cool though. I was always kinda the black sheep of the family. And junk." She said.

"Ah, okay." I nodded. "They kind of doted on your brothers or sisters, huh?"

"Nah, I'm an only child." She said dismissively. I stopped in confusion, and she walked past wearing a smile.

"You're strange." I stated.

"Heehee. So are you!" She replied. That made me smile. Gah...why did she have to make me feel this way? Just when I thought I had constructed a perfectly good wall, this pegasus would just find a chink and walk right on in. "Oh, hey Rarity!" I heard her call. I looked to see Rainbow Dash trotting up to a white unicorn with a perfectly-styled purple mane and tail.

"Hey Rare, you meet Lieutenant Drake yet?" Dash asked. The unicorn approached me gracefully and dipped her head in a curtsy.

"How do you do, lieutenant?" She greeted in a dignified, almost Canterlot tone. "It's a pleasure meeting an esteemed military officer such as yourself. My name is Rarity." I slowly nodded my head politely.

"I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the word _esteemed_, I'm afraid, but it is good to meet a friend of Rainbow Dash, and an honor to meet another of the famed Element Bearers. And in you Miss Rarity, I have met both. At your service, ma'am." I said in rigid politeness, taking off my hat and sweeping it low in a bow.

"Oh...my goodness. Such proper manners too." Rarity commented. "And may I say lieutenant, that is an impeccable hat, sir."

"Thank you..." I said, caught unawares by somepony randomly addressing my headgear.

"Such care in the creation of the gold cording..." She said, examining my hat closely as I stood stock-still, unsure what exactly was going on. "And hoof-made gold pins...my, my." Rainbow Dash put her face in her right hoof and shook her head. "And the...oh, is that a griffon feather? Not _that_ is a rarity, heehee."

"Um...Rarity?" Dash interrupted. "Drake is here on some important business, and we kiiiind of have to go." Rarity's eyes widened a moment.

"Oh dear, didn't mean to keep you, lieutenant. I do hope to see you again soon. Much luck with your business, darling. And Rainbow, I'm so glad to see you in the...company of such a polite stallion of dignity and bearing." Dash immediately blushed. Rarity, upon seeing this, looked between us and blushed herself. "Oh...I mean...oh dead. I really must be off...tata!" With that, the unicorn trotted off. Dash nervously walked up beside me.

"Um..." I grumbled.

"She's always...like that..." Dash said as if reading my mind.

"Heheh. Met a lot of ponies like her in Canterlot." I replied. "She's alright in my book. Seemed nice enough."

"Oh, she is." Rainbow agreed. "Rarity is the most generous mare you'll ever meet. If you can put up with the whole..."

"Fashionista thing?"

"Uh-huh."

"So, you wanna..."

"Yep." She answered. With that, We continued along the sidewalk until we got to the address we were searching for. I glanced at Dash a moment, then knocked on the simple wooden door of the small house. After a few moments the door opened, revealing a mare with a dark blue coat. Her lime green and dark blue mane was disheveled, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Can I...help you?" She asked suspiciously.

"Lieutenant Drake, Royal Equestrian Cavalry, ma'am." I said professionally. "I'm here by request of Her Highness, the solar princess to investigate the disappearance of local ponies. May we come in and talk?" The older mare sighed. She looked tired and careworn, and stared at Dash and I a moment.

"Okay, I guess..." She sighed, standing aside to allow my assistant and I in.

The living room of the house was furnished nondescriptly, with run-of-the-mill furniture, and floral print drapes on the windows. On a small shelf by another door was a photograph n a frame, surrounded by flowers and the nubs of several burnt candles. I walked over and studied the photo. It was of a gray earth pony with a bright red mane.

"My husband. My poor, dear, sweet Hedge..." A mournful voice said from behind me. I turned to the mare.

"You have my...condolences, ma'am." I said to her.

"Yeah...I'm sorry for your loss." Dash added, moving up beside the mare, who sniffled and wiped an eye with a tissue.

"Sure..." he mare muttered. "So, you had questions." She moved across the room and dropped carelessly onto a sofa. I produced a small notebook and pencil from my saddlebag, and sat on my haunches.

"I'm sorry ma'am..." I began. "What is your name?"

"Blue Tulip." She answered. I wrote this down.

"And you r husband is...Hedge Maze, correct?"

"Yes..." Tulip whispered.

"This is all for the record, ma'am." I assured her. "And your husband disappeared..."

"Three weeks ago. He left to pick up some groceries and never came home. I already explained this to the police." Blue Tulip said grudgingly.

"I know...just bear with us." I said. "How long was your husband gone before you became suspicious and alerted the constable." Tulip let out another exasperated sigh.

"He left home about two in the afternoon He was only supposed to be gone out an hour or two. By six in the evening, I knew something was wrong."

"Four hours..." I said, jotting down her statement.

"What did your husband do?" Dash asked. I was impressed that she'd asked this. _Good, you're catching on, Rainbow._

"Oh, he was a landscaper. He had a contract working for the town." Tulip replied. "He loves...loved his job. He was so happy. We were...happy..." The mare began to sob into her hooves. I saw Rainbow's ears droop, and she looked saddened. _Yes, Dash. This is what death causes. I warned you._

"I'm sorry to have to put you through this, ma'am." I said. "But is there anything you can remember...any small detail, no matter how trivial that may have anything to do with this?"

"No! Nothing!" She exclaimed. I could tell Tulip was becoming frustrated. "I've been over this so many times, now. Nopony hated my husband. Nopony could have wanted to hurt him."

"Okay." I said softly. I thought for a moment. "Just one more question, ma'am, and we'll go. Where was your husband going to shop for the groceries?" Tulip looked at me in a way that said she hadn't been asked that question before.

"Um...to Carrot Top's stand for some vegetables..." She replied, remembering. "And to Sugarcube corners To get a pumpkin pie. It was his favorite..."

"Okay. Thank you very much ma'am. I'm sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused you. I stated.

"Yes...of course." The mare nodded sadly. I motioned with my head to Dash, and we started out. "Wait...sir?"

"Yes, ma'am?" I replied, looking back.

"You find...whoever id doing this. Find them, and make them pay! Make them pay for my husband!" She cried emotionally. I nodded, and left the grieving mare in peace.

Outside, Dash was sitting on the sidewalk, looking glum. I hesitated a moment, sighed, then walked over to her. She glanced over at me as I sat down beside her, then back to the ground at her hooves. I knew what she was feeling. The look on her face said it all. She was a strong filly, and had probably gotten into numerous fights in her life, but this was her first experience with death.

"Dash?" I whispered, nudging her gently.

"Drake...she was really sad." The pegasus said. "Like...I dunno, this is the first time I've ever been around..."

"Loss? Death? The fallout from it?" I mused in a low voice. She nodded slowly. "Yep." Was all I could say. She looked at me quizzically. "It's intense at first. After a while of having to deal with it...well..."

"What?" She asked curiously.

"Some ponies get used to it. It just becomes routine, boring even, I guess. 'Oh look, dead bodies.' 'Oh hey, I just had to murder another living being, but it was battle, so oh well.'"

"Drake..." Dash said in a surprised tone. She looked me in the eyes as if searching for an answer to a question she didn't want to ask. I knew the question though. I could read it in her face.

"I never enjoyed it...if that's what you're thinking." I said. "And for what it's worth..." I sighed and got to my hooves. "...nevermind. Come on."

"You didn't, did you?" Dash asked in a somber tone, walking up alongside me. I grunted and pretended to not understand the question. "You never got used to it, did you?" She asked softly. I realized how close she was to me. Our cheeks were almost touching. I could feel her warmth, and smell her scent...like how a meadow smells after the rain. I shook myself from my stupor.

"Some things, Dash..." I stated. "...you just don't come back from."

"Drake..." She whispered.

"Come on, we have more witnesses to see."

"But..." She began.

"And I want to speak with another Element Bearer as well." I said.

"Okay..." Dash replied. "Who?"

"Which one of you is truth or...or..."

"Honesty?" Dash asked. "Man, they really had you under a rock, didn't they?" She said with a smile. I rolled my eyes. "That would be Applejack."

"Applejack..." I repeated. That name sounded oddly familiar for some reason.

"Yep. Applejack is the most honest pony around. The Apple family owns Sweet Apple Acres, a wicked huge apple farm on the..."

"Good." I interrupted. "We'll visit her after a couple more interviews. Maybe she knows something."

"I...don't think she does..." Rainbow rebutted, scratching her head. "Or else she would've said something..."

"Maybe she knows something, but doesn't know what she knows." I replied.

"Huh? Dash asked, confused.

"You know, there's what ponies know, what ponies _know _they know, and what ponies don't know. There's also the things that ponies don't know they know, and what they don't know they don't know. Kind of like an unknown unknown kind of thing."

"Ummm...sure, whatever you say..." Rainbow nodded, completely lost now. It made perfect sense to me, at least. I smiled at her. Alright, school was now in session.

"What did we learn from Miss Tulip?" I asked.

"Um...not much, really. Just what her husband's job was, and when he went missing." She looked at me like somepony trying to understand a complex math problem. "I don't think we learned anything...useful."

"Really?" I asked. This was starting to feel way too much like a Sherclop and Whetstone mystery.

"I...guess?" She answered, unsure.

"Well, we learned that Tulip's husband was a landscaper who worked for the town. We can draw several conclusions from this." I stated, stopping beside a bench and facing my assistant.

"What?" She asked.

"One, that her had a public job. Being a municipal landscaper means that he was always in contact with a lot of other ponies."

"Yeah..."

"And secondly, landscaping was obviously his passion. His wife said that he was happy. He enjoyed his job. A job that was steady, with decent pay, so they probably didn't have any financial problems."

"So?" She asked. I sighed.

"So, Hedge Maze didn't have dealings with criminals or anything, and he had no reason to just gallop off into the sunset, leaving a loving wife and a decent job behind."

"Oh..." Dash muttered. "That makes sense."

"Now, she also told us that her missing husband was going to buy groceries from this...Carrot Top, as well as at Sugarcube Corners."

"Yeah...yeah! And Carrot Top's stand is really close to Sugarcube Corners." Dash added.

"Meaning that we can draw a line from his house to his destination, and somewhere between point A and point B..."

"Is where he disappeared!" Dash exclaimed.

"Now you're getting it." I said with a smile. "And if we can figure out about _where_ the other ponies disappeared, we may be able to work out the why and the who."

"Drake, one question..." Dash commented. "How did you get so smart?" She grinned playfully.

"Heheh." I laughed.

"I mean, I never pegged you to be an egghead like Twilight."

"Haha, I just have experience is all."

"Riiiight..." Rainbow replied smugly.

"Oh shut up." I said with a smile. "Come on."

_Rather long chapter, but a good one, nonetheless. I'll probably have another up by tonight. Got nothing better to do right now than write, so I'm gonna finish this story in a few days and probably end the Drake saga prematurely. Depending on how things go, I may just retire afterwords, I dunno. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. _


	8. Chapter 8: Cupcakes and Rainbows

CHAPTER 8: Cupcakes and Rainbows

_Okay, officially beginning chapter 8 of a 14 chapter fic. We've passed the halfway point now. The story should be done within a week. I hope you have all enjoyed reading about Drake's life so far, and if you're just here for this fic, I hope you're enjoying my take on the whole cupcakes thing. _

"My wife is gone!" The stallion said with pleading eyes. "She was just supposed to go for an evening walk...how do I live with this, detective?!" I looked at Dash, and she gave me a sad look.

"Thank you for your time, sir."

"What happened to me son? Can you tell me that?!" An older mare asked accusingly. "Well can you?!"

"He was a mean, hateful, spiteful old curmudgeon." A mare said of her late husband as I wrote down her testimony. "He didn't have a kind word to say about anypony, and even less to say to me."

"Uh...huh...okay ma'am..." I replied. "Ehe...and how long were the two of you married?"

"Thirty six years of living Tartarus! And I know that's where that stingy, friendless old geezer is now!" She exclaimed.

"Okay...thank you, ma'am." I said as Dash and I made for the door. Outside, we just looked at each other blankly a moment.

"Well..."Dash began. "She sure...um..."

"At least we know _one_ of the victims could've had an enemy..." I commented.

"We'd interviewed six ponies since Miss Tulip, and not a single one had told me anything that seemed to be very valuable. I _had_ managed to find out where most of the victims had been heading at the time of their disappearance. I would have to cross-reference all of this with my notes and maps later at Twilight's library.

"Where do we go now?" Dash asked.

"Well, a couple of the missing ponies had been on their way to or from Sugarcube Corners when they disappeared. Maybe we should see if your friend Pinkie Pie noticed anything strange the last time she saw the victims."

"Good idea." Dash commented.

"I know it is." I grinned.

"You're so full of yourself." Dash said playfully.

"Says the awesome and amazing Rainbow Dash?" I commented dryly.

"Eheh...point taken..." She replied sheepishly as we began to walk. I suddenly remembered something I wanted to ask, but had never gotten around to it.

"Hey, Dash?"

"Yeah?" She answered.

"I gotta ask you something important." I said. She fell into stride beside me and looked at me quizzically.

"Okay, what's up?" She finally said.

"Look, if somepony's doing this, they're probably really strong." I explained. "Especially if it's only one culprit. To be able to just take a full-grown stallion...to overpower a pony and leave little or no trace..."

"Yeah?"

"Well, in case we run into the pony responsible, can you hold your own in a fight?" I asked.

"Can I fight?" Dash repeated as if I'd just asked her if the grass was green.

"Yeah...is the ability to fight found anywhere in the immense repertoire of the awesome Rainbow Dash?" I asked in a satirical tone.

"You bet, Drake!" Dash replied enthusiastically. "I got your back! Just lemme get ahold of that killer pony!" She stood on her back legs and began punching air with her forehooves. "I'll give him something he won't soon forget!"

"Heheh...Down, Rainbow, down..." I chuckled. Okay, that was really attractive, and I probably didn't need to see her doing that. But it was good to know that if needed, Dash could help me subdue a stronger adversary. Given how many ponies had vanished, I was sort of hoping the attacker _had_ used magic. Otherwise, it meant that they were exceedingly strong, not to mention crafty and stealthy. I was good, but maybe...just maybe not _that_ good. A Royal Guard had been taken, for Celestia's sake. Those ponies were as hard as nails.

"Well, I guess they won't be expecting the best swordspony _and_ the best flier in Equestria, huh?" I added with dry humor.

"Nope! We're an unstoppable team!" Dash declared.

"Hm. I wouldn't go that far now." I stated.

"Why not?" She asked as we reached our destination.

"Might jinx it." I said. She scoffed as we entered Sugarcube Corners, the source of the delicious cupcakes I'd practically been living on for the last two days.

"HI!" The pink pony I'd met when I first arrived called, popping up from behind the counter. She galloped up to us...or teleported would be more accurate. "Heya, Daaaashie! Hi mysterious-pony-who-I-still-don't-know-your-name-yet!"

"Hey Pinkie. This is Lieutenant Drake." Dash said, introducing me to the hyper pink filly.

"Pleeeaaaased to meet you, Drakie! Pinkie exclaimed, embracing me in an overly-tight hug.

"Oof...okay...yes, good to meet...you too..." I choked between labored breaths. She let go of me and gave me a big goofy grin.

"Drake here was sent to Ponyville by Princess Celestia." Said Rainbow Dash in a proud voice. Was she...showing me off?

"Ooooo." Pinky replied. "What for?"

"To help solve the missing ponies case, Miss Pinkie." I said. Pinkie pie smiled a moment silently.

"Ohhhh, that's amazing!" The pony with the frizzy pink mane exclaimed. "And you don't have to call me Miss Pinkie, Miss Pie _or_ even Miss Pinkie Pie. You can call me Pinkie or Pinkie Pie or the greatest party pony around, Pinkamena Dianne Pie!" I was astounded that she had been able to say all of that in just one breath.

"Okay, Pinkie..." I began. "Would it be alright if I asked you a few questions?"

"Oookaayyy..." Pinkie Pie answered, a confused look on her face.

"Do you happen to remember a pony named...Hedge Maze?" I asked. Pinkie thought for a moment, tapping her chin in reverie.

"Ummm..."

"He stopped here to pick up a pumpkin pie, maybe?" About three weeks ago?"

"Ohhh yeaahhh..." She replied. "I remember him." Pinkie said.

"Do you remember anything about him? Anything about his visit?" I inquired.

"Well, he ordered a large pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and then he came and picked it up!" She answered with a smile.

"Okay, anything else? I asked.

"Nope! Well...he bought a lot of pies here, all special order. I'm really gonna miss baking for him. He was a pony of gooooood taste!" She said with a grin.

"You seriously can't think of anything else that might help Drake?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Eeeenope." Pinkie replied with a squeak.

"Okay, sorry for bothering you, Pinkie." I said.

"No bother, Drakie!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I was happy to finally meet you!"

"And you too." I said. "Oh, and by the way, your cupcakes are really good."

"I KNOW!" Pinkie gushed. "I make the super-duperest cupcakes ever! Everypony just loves them! You want a few?"

"Sure...I mean, if you don't mind..."

"Not at all!" Pinkie replied. "I was just about to bake a fresh batch soon anyway!" She grabbed half a dozen cupcakes, and dropped them into a paper bag. "Here ya go!" She said happily, handing me the bag of treats.

"Thanks!" I said graciously. "We gotta go, so...I'll see you around, eh? For more of these mouthwatering cupcakes at the very least."

"Oh, sure thing, Drakie! Stop by anytime. I'll have the new batch ready in a couple of days too! Oh, and that reminds me...Dashie, can you drop in the day after tomorrow? I'll need your help with something." Dash looked at me, and I shrugged and nodded with a smile.

"Sure, Pinkie." Rainbow replied. "What time?"

"About eleven in the morning is fine!"

"Okay, I'll be here. You can count on it." Dash smiled. "See you then, Pinkie!" We started out the door.

"See you guys soon!" Pinkie called happily.

"She seemed nice...a little on the strange side, but nice." I commented to Dash outside.

"Yeah...it's best not to question Pinkie too much." Dash replied. "She's a little out there, but we've been friends like...forever."

"That's good." I smiled. "Takes the best baker around to feed the best flier around, eh?"

"Totally!" Dash said, grinning as I stroked her ego again. "So whatcha wanna do now, Drake?" I glanced up at the sun.

"Eh, not much more we can do today." I remarked. "Now back to Miss Twilight's for lots of paperwork."

"Ugh..." Dash groaned.

"Tell me about it..." I agreed. "Comes with the territory though. You wanna come?" I _had_ to ask, didn't I? Every time I tried to be nice to Rainbow Dash, it kept sounding like I was asking her out.

"Yeaahhhh...I'll hang around a bit longer. Can't let you get bored out of your mind doing office work, can I?"

"Alright." I concluded. "Let's get going then." We made our way through town, and back to the library, where Twilight and Spike were waiting somewhat anxiously.

"Where have you _been_?" Twilight asked us as Dash and I entered. "Did you find any clues? Did you find anything out? Did..."

"Man, Twilight, one question at a time." Dash laughed. Twilight looked embarrassed a moment. I smiled at Dash's comical chiding.

"Oh...heheh...sorry, Lieutenant Drake." The purple unicorn said.

"That's alright miss." I replied. "I mean, Twilight." She giggled. "Truth is, we interviewed several ponies about their missing friends and loved ones, and interrogated a possible suspect."

"Suspect?!" Twilight gasped. "Ohmygosh! Who?!"

"Trixie." Rainbow Dash answered. "Aaaannd...'interrogated' is putting it pretty lightly. Drake here needs to work on his pony skills."

"Oh gosh...what did he do?" Twilight sighed gloomily, putting her face in her hoof.

"I may have been a little...forceful...with my line of questioning." I admitted.

"I am _so_ gonna be hearing about this later..." Twilight groaned. "Trixie and I...really don't get along..."

"So I heard." I stated. "But don't expect any fallout from this. She's quite alright, and even expressed a desire to help in any way she could."

"Really?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Yep!" Dash replied. I shook my head affirmatively.

"Okay then..." The unicorn librarian said more cheerfully.

"Oh, and to answer your other questions, I'm not sure what exactly I've learned until I put it into...context with all the other information, you know?"

"That makes sense." Twilight admitted. "So, Rainbow...are you like helping Lieutenant Drake or..."

"She's been a big help today." I said quickly. "She um...she's been good about showing me around the town and introducing me to local ponies and stuff." I grinned, and Dash tried to hide a slight blush.

"Well, I'm glad you two are getting along so well." Twilight beamed.

"Yeaahhh...we're both just awesome like that." Dash grinned. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay Captain Awesome, let's get to work." I deadpanned, making Twilight and Spike snicker. I walked toward the study.

"Hey, wait! If I'm _Captain_ Awesome, doesn't that mean I outrank you?" Dash jested.

"If you were captain, then I'd be a general, and you'd _still _be my assistant!" I shot back. My hosts giggled even louder.

"Well I'd be the General of Awesome!" Rainbow continued.

"Keep telling yourself that, zoomie." I returned.

"Army mule!" With that, we shut the door, leaving Twilight and Spike laughing at our outburst.

We spent the next two hours alternating between matching our notes from the day with police reports, identifying possible routes the victims could have taken on my map, and me trying to completely ignore Dash's antics. I would explain how ponies, like just about every other living thing, always take the shortest route between two points, or how attacks like these were usually strategically planned by the perpetrators and carried out methodically, only to look over and see Dash staring at me wistfully. Twilight brought us a two cups of tea, allotting me an admittedly well-needed break. I cleaned off a spot on the table, and we sat side-by-side, sipping our beverages in silence.

"So, Drake..." Dash began.

"Yeah?"

"You like Ponyville?" She asked. I glanced sidelong at the pegasus. "Oh man...I mean, like the mysterious ponynappings aside and all...do you like the town?" I took a sip of the tea. Not sweet enough. I liked my tea cold and thick with sugar.

"It's okay, I suppose." I answered truthfully. "More...cosmopolitan than I'm used to, maybe."

"Oh..." She muttered, looking into her cup. What was she getting at?

"Why?" I finally asked. She swirled her tea a moment, then took a sip."

"Eh...no reason." She sighed. "Where do you live, Drake?"

"Dash..."

"Geez, simple question, dude."

"I dunno." I shrugged, finishing my tea in one long drink.

"What...like seriously? Seriously?" Dash said incredulously. "You don't have a home?" I shrugged again.

"This room at the moment...and wherever I end up after that."

"Drake..."

"This is why I don't like questions, Dash." I stated.

"But..."

"You always make a big deal out of something that ain't." I reprimanded.

"But Drake..." She whimpered.

"It's really none of your business." I said as calmly as I could. Dash still looked sad.

"I need to go." She sighed. "I have work tomorrow."

"Okay." I said simply.

"Drake? Can I...help you...tomorrow?" Dash asked like a young foal. "I...I really had fun today."

"Hm. Fun?"

"Oh man...that's not what I...I didn't mean..."

"Heh. It's alright. I know what you mean." I said. "You can come with me. I still need to see Applejack tomorrow." She gave me a small smile.

"Thanks, Drake. I'll see you tomorrow. Eleven okay?"

"Fine." I answered. "Meet me by that bridge at the park."

"I'll be there." Dash smiled. She moved up closer to me. "Good night, Drake. Don't stay up too late."

"Night, Dash." I replied. "I'll see you tomorrow." Before I could stop her, Dash hugged me. She let go and gave me a nervous smile.

"Yeah...see you tomorrow." She replied. She walked out of the room, and I heard her saying her goodbyes to Twilight and Spike as I sat at the desk, thinking about the day.

I tried to concentrate on my work, but my thoughts kept returning to Rainbow Dash. I paced the floor of the study, trying to link together the information I'd gathered, attempting to do what I'd been sent here to do. What my _mission_ dictated. I read and reread witness testimonies. I got to Trixie's, and I couldn't help but remember Dash's reaction when the magician had begun flirting with me. I scoffed, and closed my notebook. I stood and made my way to the window. In the darkened pane of glass, my reflection stared back at me. I ran a hoof through my mane...my hair was a mess.

"What is it you see in me, Dash?" I whispered to the glass. I sighed. "I'm nopony you want to be with. I'm not the stallion for you..." I would be gone soon, more than likely. I would solve this gruesome case, and get reassigned far away from this town, from this filly. I'd never see either again. It would be just me again...me and my memories.

"You don't want to get mixed up with me." I whispered sadly to the window, and the darkness outside. "I'm nothing but trouble." I leaned my forehead up against the cool glass. I had to confess to myself at this point that Dash had feelings for me. Deep feelings. And I...no matter how I felt about it, no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I had feelings for her too.

"It can't happen." I muttered. "Never." This is how it had to be. I had to ensure that Dash and I never had to suffer the agony of being in love. The pain of the certainty of disaster and heartbreak, and the knowledge that it could never last. If there was one inevitability in life, it was this...a glaring and unmistakable truth. Good things never last. I sighed, and walked to the large sofa in the room. I lay myself upon the soft couch and closed my eyes. "What is it you see in me, Dash?" I whispered as sleep overtook me.

_Second chapter of the day. I'll probably get another up tonight. All I want to do right now is write this story, drink energy drinks, and watch cavalry documentaries. That's the sum of my life right now. So I'm gonna chug a Monster now and watch a documentary about George Custer, probably all the while hoping to God that I get the opportunity to die in battle one day. Beats dying old and alone and full of regrets by falling down the cellar stairs..._

_Hope you liked the chapter. Send me a review if you want. I've gotten like three in the last seven chapters, so this fic's feeling very unloved. Next chapter up soon. -Drake_


	9. Chapter 9: Haunted

CHAPTER 9: Haunted.

I waited impatiently by the small bridge at the park. It was already after eleven, and Rainbow Dash was late. I was anxious to meet this Applejack, and see if she knew anything, not to mention all the other work that had to be done...which we _couldn't_ get done, because my assistant and guide to all things Ponyville was _late_.

"Hey Drake!" The pegasus pony greeted, landing beside me. She was panting, and beads of sweat covered her coat. She wiped her forehead and grinned at me. _Oh damn you, Rainbow Dash_.

"You know you're late." I stated.

"Try movin' a ton of clouds around, making it rain over two farms, and cleaning up six acres of fog as fast as I just did!" Rainbow dash returned.

"Huh. Damn..." I remarked. "You really _are_ good." I smiled.

"And don't you forget it!" She grinned. "You wanna get started?" She asked as she blew a lock of hair away from her right eye. I now couldn't forget last night. _Rainbow Dash, you are without a doubt the cutest, most attractive filly I've ever met in my life...I hate you._

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure." I said. "Let's go see Applejack."

"Sure thing. I'll lead the way." She began to trot away. I soon followed. Working so hard all morning had made her really confident. Most fillies were content to be...well, stereotypical fillies. Dash...she was different. Maybe that's what I liked about her. Her aggressive tomboyish nature, her devil-may-care attitude...yet, there was an innocence about her too. She hadn't seen the things I'd seen or done the things I'd done. She was tough enough to stand by me and watch my back, and I'd be happy to have her with me in a scrap, but still she was fragile enough to be...a girl. Gah! Why was I thinking like this? I couldn't...there was no way I could ever have a relationship with Dash. I clenched my jaw, and mentally cursed myself.

"You'll probably like Applejack." Dash was saying.

"Oh, why is that?" I asked, trying hard to care...or maybe not at this point.

"She's the best cowpony around." Dash replied. Aaannd about as stubborn as you."

"Heh. I'm not stubborn." I chuckled She looked back at me.

"Yuh-huh!"

"Nope, I ain't stubborn, I'm just always right about everything. There's a difference." I stated with a smug grin.

"Stubborn." She repeated.

"Zoomie."

"Army mule. She returned. I smiled. Okay, I was really going to miss this playful banter when all of this was over.

"Hm." I grunted lightly, thinking. Did that mean I was really going to miss..._her_? Well damn...I'd get over it, right? I'd have to, after all. No choice in the matter.

"That's it." Dash announced. "Sweet Apple Acres." We stood at the gate of a huge apple plantation. Trees full of red, green and yellow fruit spread out over rolling hills as far as the eye could see.

"Well...it certainly is...big." I commented.

"Heh...yep..." Dash said, opening the wooden gate. "Come on."

"Lead the way." I waved. She shot me a smile, and entered the farm with me close behind. We passed by a large red barn and several smaller sheds before coming to the Apple family's country-style home. Dash knocked on the door, which seconds later opened to reveal a yellowish-coated pony with a blonde mane and a cowpony hat on her head. Seemed logical enough.

"Well howdy, Rainbow!" The pony greeted. "What brings ya around?" She looked past Dash to me. "And who's yer friend here?"

"This is Lieutenant Drake, A.J." Dash replied.

"Ohhh. This here's the new pony in town I been hearin' about."

"The same." I said cheerfully. I took off my hat. "Lieutenant Drake, Royal Equestrian Cavalry. Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

"He wants to ask you some questiiooonns." Dash said in a pretend hushed voice, hoof to the side of her face and everything, like it was some big secret. I rolled my eyes, which made the two ponies snicker.

"Sure thing, come on in!" Applejack called. We entered the farmhouse, and the Element of Honesty cut right to the chase.

"So whaddya wanna ask me?" She inquired.

"Well, ma'am...I was sent here by Her Majesty Princess Celestia to solve the missing pony case."

"And he's like the most amazing, awesome detective ever!" Dash bragged. Wow...for once, she wasn't inflating her own ego.

"Um...eheh...I don't know about that, now..." I replied. "But like I was saying, I'm investigating the case, and I was just wondering..."

"If'n I'd seen any varmits around these parts that might a' had somethin' to do with it? Applejack interjected.

"Um...yeah, actually." I replied. Applejack looked at the floor. "Well, lieutenant...I hate to let ya down, but I ain't...and believe you me, I've tried."

"Beg your pardon, miss?" I asked.

"Well, it's the worst thing that's ever happened in this here town." The cowpony explained. "Shoot, I don't even know what I'd do if'n I lost my big brother or my lil' sister...or anypony else for that matter." Dash was nodding. "I been asking around a bit myself, an' seein' what I could see."

"And you haven't had much luck." I stated. She shook her head sadly.

"Heck no...and I wish I could!" She replied.

"And why is that?" I queried.

"'Cause nopony hurts innocent ponies like this." She replied with a scowl. "And if'n I catch whatever lowdown, dirty polecat's doin' this...I'll make _sure_ they wish you'd arrested 'em first!" I stood in silence a moment. I believed her threat thoroughly, of course. She was the Element of Harmony, after all. This posed a new problem though. Twilight Sparkle was highly intelligent. She'd been following the case from an intellectual standpoint, trying to solve it herself. And with a headstrong pony like Applejack pounding the ground and listening to the rails...this could only mean this mystery was probably deeper and darker than I'd originally thought.

"So, A.J.," Dash said, changing the subject. "You have any of your world-famous apple fritters made? I'm starving!"

"Why, ya'll know I do!" Applejack replied in a more chipper tone. "You hungry too, lieutenant?" My stomach rumbled when she asked, causing me to remember that I'd eaten nothing but a few cupcakes over the last two days.

"Um...yeas ma'am..." I answered, almost embarrassed to impose on what I assumed was a simple farm family.

"Oh shoot, lieutenant..." Applejack smiled. "Ya'll ain't gotta be so obeisant now." Really? Did this farm girl just use the word 'obeisant'? I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright, I'm hungry then." I smiled.

"You shoulda said so!" Applejack declared. "We always make a lot more food than we need, an' it seems we're always just givin' all the surplus to neighbors and friends." She explained as she entered her kitchen. "Ya'll have a seat out there. I'll be out in a sec." I shrugged, and sat at a low coffee table, Dash sitting next to me. A few moments later, our host came out of the kitchen, carrying a large plate of baked goods in one hoof, and balancing another platter on her back. She placed them on the table before us, my eyes beholding apple turnovers, apple fritters, slices of apple pie, and at least half a dozen other treats made of apples. I looked at Dash, who smiled and popped an apple fritter into her mouth whole.

"Whatcha waitin' fer? Dig in!" Applejack coaxed. I picked up an apple turnover and took a bite. It was without a doubt, the best apple turnover I'd ever had in my life. I grunted in satisfaction, and ate the rest of it in one bite. I then helped myself to a slice of apple pie, followed by another apple turnover.

"Thanks for the food, Miss Applejack." I said, holding up an apple fritter in a toast. "It's been very kind of you."

"Mmhmm." Dash agreed, her mouth full of pie.

"Aww shucks, it ain't nothin'!" Applejack protested. "After what you're doin'...coming here to solve this case and all."

"Just doin' my job is all." I replied.

"And we're all grateful for it." The cowpony said. "Speakin' of whick, why'd the Princess send a cavalrypony to investigate a crime?"

"Cause he's the best there is!" Dash stated dramatically. _Thanks for the save, Rainbow._

"Well, I hope he is." Applejack replied. "Oh, did you know that I had a relative in the cavalry?"

"Oh, really?" I asked. "What did he do, join the cavalry reserve corps, probably." I mused. "They just don't use the cav like they used to."

"No..." Applejack answered, a strange expression on her face. "He was on garrison duty. A frontier unit, I think."

"Really?" I asked, interested in her story. "I've done frontier duty myself...once upon a year." I said, wanting to say as little as possible, especially in front of Rainbow Dash.

"Oh. Then you might've known cousin Apple Dumplin' then." I felt like I'd just been kicked in the gut. My throat tightened.

"Wh...I'm sorry...what did you say?" I asked, trying hard to remain composed.

"Cousin Apple Dumplin'" Applejack replied, a sad tone to her voice. "He was...my third cousin. He died in battle. With the..." She sighed. "Nevermind. I heard it was a big tragedy, I reckon. He was a nice pony." I didn't even hear the rest. I felt light-headed, and my heart was pounding in my chest. Apple Dumplin'...this couldn't be happening...

"N...no..." I choked out. Dash nudged me, a concerned look on her face. My stomach was turning in knots. I started seeing images, brief flashes. Blood. Dead bodies. Screaming.

"You okay there, lieutenant?" Applejack asked.

"Drake?" Dash whimpered.

"I...I GOTTA GO!" I yelled, leaping to my hooves. I galloped out of the house as fast as I could, holding back tears. I ran straight to the park and found a tree, the base hidden by a large bush. I fell back against the tree hard and groaned.

I was haunted. That much I knew. I would never be able to escape what I had done. Was that my punishment? Was this why Celestia had sent me here on this...assignmnet? To this...Tartarus of my immortal soul? Was it to punish me with my own memories? Was it to beset me with the irony of sending a murderer to hunt down a murderer?

"Drake?!" I heard dash calling frantically. _No, Rainbow...not now. "Drake!" let me die in peace. _"Drake...oh my gosh, there you are..." The pegasus exclaimed, landing beside me. I didn't even acknowledge her. I felt worlds away. "Drake?"

"Go away..." I muttered.

"Hey..."

"Get away from me!" I screamed. "Leave me alone! Everypony just..DAMN IT ALL!" The next thing I knew, I was slapped across the face hard. I looked up to see a pair of magenta eyes staring me down.

"Drake...we need to talk. Now."

_Well, the moment is now coming that Dash is going to try to force Drake to spill the beans about his past. Any guesses how that will go? And how many of you who have followed Drake's story from the start saw the Apple Dumplin' thing coming? I told you, this is a story about things coming full circle, for good or bad. What will happen now? I'll try to have the next chapter up soon. Until then, thanks for reading._


	10. Chapter 10: Flashbacks

CHAPTER 10: Flashbacks

"What happened to you?" Dash asked, genuine concern in her eyes. I knew that there was no escaping it at this point, no running from it. I couldn't get away from telling her the truth, unless I threw her out of my life.

"Why do you care?" I replied cynically.

"Because...because...I just do, okay? So deal with it!" She said.

"Nothing happened, okay? Why can't you just leave me alone and let me do my damned job?!" I asked angrily. She winced and tears began to form in her eyes.

"Why...why..." She stammered.

"Why what?!" I asked. "Why am I always so pissed off? Why don't I have any friends, what?"

"Why the buck do you keep being so mean to me?!" She cried out. "All I've done is try to help you! I like...want to be nice to you, but you treat me like...like a jerk!"

"I know..." I whispered sadly.

"And another thing, wait...what?"

"I know I've been a jerk." I admitted, pawing at the ground with a hoof. I couldn't stand seeing Dash like this, knowing that I was the reason for it. "I'm sorry Dash...alright?" I felt tears forming in my eyes. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Then stop pushing me away." Rainbow whispered. "I want to be in your life."

"And that...that scares me." I admitted.

"Well obviously..." She replied. "But I do. I don't know where you came from, or what happened to you..."

"Stop..." I croaked, choking back raw emotion.

"...but what I do know about you, I think is pretty cool, and I...I just..."

"What?" I asked. "At this point, you can tell me pretty much anything. I don't care anymore."

"Drake?" Rainbow said in a meek voice.

"Yeah?"

"You were...you're the first pony I ever kissed." She confessed.

"Really?" I asked. I was surprised, honestly. How could I have been the only pony to get that close to her? The only one she ever...

"Yeah." She answered.

"Why?" I felt so stupid in asking that question. It just slipped out.

"I don't know, okay?!" Rainbow replied sharply. She sighed. "I'm not good with this kind of stuff."

"Neither am I." I stated. "Truth be told, Rainbow...I haven't kissed a girl in a year, and she was the only one..."

"You?" Dash exclaimed. "But...I mean...I figured you'd be swimming in fillies!"

"Heh..." I laughed. "And why is that?"

"Well, you're a really nice guy...when you wanna be..." She said, blushing slightly. I scoffed. Nice? "And you're...geez, you're gonna make me say it, aren't you?" I simply stared at her. "You're like amazingly handsome, okay?"

"You...you think so?" I asked seriously. Nopony had ever said I was handsome before. I really didn't know how to take it.

"Yes" Was her reply. "I've never met a stallion...or _anypony_ like you. I jus...oh man, like...I know I'm so awesome at like...everything, but...you..." I was taken aback by Rainbow Dash's sudden outburst. "You...you make me feel like a nervous little foal. I...I hate it!" Her cheeks were bright red. My heart had that fluttery feeling again. She was panting as she stared into my eyes, her wings fully extended. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to be alone...didn't I? No, I wanted _her_...I wanted to love her and treat her like a goddess. Damnit...I didn't know what I wanted anymore. Still, there was Rainbow Dash, standing in front of me, staring me down, daring me with her eyes to say something.

"Well, if you hate it so much..." I began coolly."

"Shut up!" She exclaimed. "You solve this case and what...you go back to Canterlot, or some old fort again?!" And what about how I feel? Or how...how _you_..."

"You wanna know?!" I finally snapped. "You wanna know how I feel? Fine! I feel weak in the knees around you! And I hate pegasi! All the stupid...arrogant...cocky, stupid damned self-righteous stunt fliers...but you...I don't know wha...I think I'm in LOVE with you!" Her eyes were wide, and she let out a small whimper. I still wasn't done, though.

"Why not, huh?!" I cried out. "Why not care and love and get close...and get somepony else killed?!" I panted. Rainbow cringed at that, and shrank down. "That's all I'm good at...causing death!"

"D...death? Drake..." She whimpered.

"Oh buck it!" I exclaimed. I walked away until I found a grove of trees, a small woodlot. I leaned up against an ancient oak. I threw my hat down onto the dirt, and feel back against the rough trunk of the tree. The images came, a series of short, bloody scenes playing out in clips I couldn't stop. Mutilated bodies...the air filled with smoke from the still-burning houses and cabins...

"We were too late..." I heard myself say. My troopers surrounded me, staring at the horror.

"Lieutenant?" My first sergeant's voice called.

"Kill them. Kill them all." I was suddenly back in the trees in Ponyville. Then in a flash, I was back again, standing on the rise overlooking the Buffalo settlement.

"There's too many of them."

"No quarter."

"Lieutenant..."

"No quarter. Kill them down to the last calf! CHARGE!" Blood, bodies, the screaming...

"Lieutenant!" A voice called from the bloody chaos.

"Lieutenant!"

"DRAKE!" I snapped back into reality to find Rainbow Dash holding onto me tightly. She was crying. The tough, tomboyish pegasus was sobbing into my shoulder.

"Drake, what happened?!" She trembled. "Are you okay? What the hay happened?"

"Dash...I was..."

"You were screaming and shaking, Drake." She said gently. She let go of me, and sat down on the ground next to me. I felt her cheek press against my neck. "What happened to you?" She whispered.

"I can't..." I choked out.

"You have to." She pleaded.

"It's just...too..." I felt myself start to shake.

"Shh. I'm right here. It's okay. Just talk, okay? I need to know."

"Why?" I asked quietly, tears streaming down my cheeks, falling to the dust.

"Cause...because I..." She whispered. "I love you."

"Mm."

"Drake?"

"We saw the smoke." I began.

"What?"

"The Southern Band of the Buffalo...they were on the warpath. We'd been on alert for days. On the morning of the fifth day..."

"Go on, Drake. Rainbow quietly urged, petting my mane.

"We saw smoke, from the direction of a small settlement five miles to the north. Good ponies. Settlers. We knew them all..." I spoke, feeling the emotions I felt on that day coming back.

"It's okay..." Dash said comfortingly.

"We formed a patrol. Me and most of my troopers. There were about twenty of us at the...at the fort and..." I paused a moment, swallowed, and continued. "I left four at the fort. Two troopers, a civilian..a sut...sutler, and my...my scout..." I bit my lip and let out a sob.

"Drake?"

"My scout...she was my...my marefriend." I breathed, trying to keep from breaking down.

"Okay. Just...just let it all out, Drake..."

"We made it to the village in less than an hour. We were...we were too late."

"Drake...calm..."

"They were all dead! The settlers. Stallions, mares, foals...killed and mutilated. The houses burned...the blood, Rainbow..." Her eyes were full of tears as she held me close to her.

"That's...that's horrible, Drake. Nopony should have to see that..."

"Wait..." I commanded. "There's more...we ah...we found their encampment. There were scores of them. Maybe a hundred. Maybe more, I dunno...maybe fifty women and calves. All I could think about was the settlement...the bodies. Sergeant Hardtack, he...he tried to talk me down. I was in command, Dash. I was responsible!"

"Drake!"

"I ordered the attack! I MURDERED MY OWN COMMAND!" I screamed. "They killed my troopers. I was knocked out. Bastards thought they'd killed me. I came to and dragged myself into an arroyo...my troopers were being butchered, and I was hiding in a HOLE!" I was gasping for breath. "Then, the Buffalo hit the fort. They killed them...I killed them...My troopers, Spring, I killed them all! And I survived!" Rainbow held me even more tightly, and I could feel her body jolt with each of her sobs.

"I had no idea that..." Dash cried. She sniffled and looked into my eyes. "Drake, you couldn't have known. You did what you thought...what you felt was right. It might not have been, but...you made a call."

"A bad one..." I gloomed, trembling from the memories.

"I know." She said sympathetically. "But I'm sure they'd forgive you." She pressed her cheek against mine, and spoke softly into my ear. "I'm sure of it, Drake." She whispered. "They would forgive you. If they saw in you what I do, they loved you, and they...would...forgive you. Your troopers, your marefriend...and for what it's worth...I still love you."

"You...you do?" I whimpered.

"Come on, of course I do." Rainbow said, giving me a little smile. "You're still like...everything I said you were. What kinda filly you think I am?"

"That means a lot." I whispered. I sniffed, and rested my head on her shoulder. "I...I kind of feel a little better, you know? Getting that off my chest. I've never told anypony about it...I haven't talked about it since...since it happened..." I sighed. "Thank you, Dash. For listening...and for not judging me for it."

"Hey, you forget who you're talking to? I'm Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty!"

"Heh."

"And I still think you're pretty awesome, Drake." She said.

"I am?"

"Yep..." She gave me a playful look that made me feel worlds better. "Well...not as awesome as _me_, of course." She snickered, and let out a very unladylike snort.

"Heheh..." I finally chuckled. "Zoomie."

"Army mule." She retorted, narrowing her eyes in a playful scowl.

"Know why?" I asked seriously, leaning in close. Rainbow had a confused look on her face.

"Wh...why?" She asked.

"Heh. Chicken thigh." I grinned. She dove onto me, sending us both to the ground.

"Only with you, my dear Dashie, only with you." I smiled. She paused, and backed off a few steps, staring into my eyes.

"What did you...call me?" She whispered. I watched her a moment, then it hit me. I moved in close, our muzzles almost touching. She still stared into my eyes. My legs felt weak, my mouth dry.

"D...Dashie..." I whispered.

"Mmm..." She whimpered, closing her eyes.

"Dashie." I whispered again. I shut my eyes. I could feel her breath on my face. It was intoxicating. Then our lips were touching. We were kissing. We drew back gently, gazing into each others' eyes, magenta meeting brown. Then, we were gently nuzzling each other, before embracing each other in a loving hug.

"I love you Drake." Dashie said.

"I love you, Dashie." I replied, just as lovingly. With that, it was sealed. I would never leave her. I would love her the rest of my life. I could feel that, and it was good.

_So Drake and Dash are now together. How will this affect the investigation? Is Drake on his way to recovering from the tragedies that have befallen him, now that he has somepony who wants to show him love? I'll try to get the next chapter up tonight. Hope you enjoyed this chapter._


	11. Chapter 11: First Date, First Mission

CHAPTER 11: First Date, First Mission

_Finally got around to posting a new chapter. I was gonna do it last night, but...you know, life? Anyway, here it is. Now that Drake and Dash are officially an item, how will their newfound relationship affect the case? And if you're unfamiliar with the cupcakes thing, you may be wondering who the ponynapper is. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please review._

"Okay Dashie, I give..." I sighed. "...where are we going?" Dash had been leading me through Ponyville for a 'surprise', but wouldn't say what exactly.

"Alright, here we are." She grinned. We stood in front of a nice-looking restaurant where a waiter in a tie served ponies sitting at cafe-style tables outside.

"A restaurant?" I stated incredulously, shooting Dash a suspicious look,

"Yep. The best in town." She replied

"What's this got to do with our investigation?" I asked.

"Nothing." She stated flatly. She smiled and nuzzled me affectionately. "I just thought you could use a break. That, and you haven't eaten anything but junk food since you got here. You could use a good meal."

"Yeah...I could..." I admitted. "But I don't have that many bits."

"Well I'm buyin', so don't worry about it." She replied. I groaned. My marefriend was buying. She smiled, and I sighed and gave her a quick kiss.

"Alright, I guess." I said. "Only because it's you, Dashie."

"Heehee." She giggled. We walked to the entrance, where a pony stood behind a podium in a dignified stance.

"Table for two?" He asked politely.

"Yup!" Dash declared. We were led to a table and given two menus. We sat in silence, looking over our options for a moment.

"You didn't have to do this, you know?" I said, still reading over my menu.

"Yeah I did..." She replied from across the table. "You deserve it." Okay, that was sweet. Why was she so nice to me? I'd have to learn to live with that, I guess. I smiled.

"I love you." I said. I lowered my menu to see Dashie giving me the most loving look I have ever seen a filly give.

"I love you too, Drake." She replied sweetly. Okay, She had just officially become the best part of my world now. I never thought I could feel this way. I smiled back at her and we gazed into each others' eyes until the waiter came to take our orders and interrupt the moment.

"Are you ready to order?" He asked.

"Um...yes..." I replied. "Can I have...well, do you have flapjacks?"

"Sir?"

"Hum? Oh...pancakes." I said.

"Yes sir."

"I want a stack of pancakes...maple syrup, and a lot of fresh blueberries on them. Um...biscuits with gravy...pepper it up, some strawberries...and coffee. The strongest, largest coffee you have."

"Okay...sir...um yes, of course." The waiter said, writing down what had to be the strangest order he'd probably ever gotten from a customer at two in the afternoon. "And miss?"

"Hayburger and fries." She replied. "And a sarsaparilla." The waiter gave her a lackluster look for a moment, then wrote her order down.

"Thank you. Your dishes will be ready soon." The waiter said before walking away. I stared at Dashie a moment.

"What?" She asked.

"Did you just bring me to a fancy restaurant, and order a...hayburger and fries?" I asked skeptically. She laughed.

"Oh, right...says the stallion who just ordered the biggest breakfast in history in the middle of the afternoon."

"Touche, Dashie...touche."

"Drake, just a question...why _did_ you order all the breakfast stuff?" She asked.

"heheh...alright...at the fort, I spent about five years eating mostly baled hay, army biscuits and desecrated desiccated vegetables. Heh. The high point of it all was beans. Army beans, Dashie...well, I had some flapjacks once when a settler cooked for me, and I kept going back for more. I made a vow that when I got back to civilization, after all the hay and beans for morning chow all the damned time, that I was gonna order the biggest plate of flapjacks I could, no matter _what_ time of day it was."

"Wow...that is...so random, Drake." Dash said with a comical grin.

"Ha! And I'm sure they feed the Wonderbolts rose petals and mineral water. Oh wait...they probably do." I stated with a smug smile.

"Oh shut up!" Dashie laughed, playfully shoving me from across the table.

"So, I was thinking." I began, changing the subject. "We haven't had that much progress in the case so far."

"I know! You'd think that somepony would know something." Dash commented.

"Or had seen or heard something at least." I added. "To be honest, this isn't making much sense. If magic or some animal doesn't play a part in all this, then it points to a pony, which is what I've believed all along."

"Come on, you think that it's some lone pony doing this?" Dash asked with some skepticism.

"Yes I do...the problem is that there is a profile for this sort of thing, and nopony fits it."

"Profile?" Dash asked. "What's that?"

"Serial murderers are rare..._very_ rare, but they do exist. The thing is, they all have a few things in common."

"What things?"

"Psychologically, behavior...even stuff from their past. It all forms a profile of what makes the pony the kind of monster we're looking for."

"So the pony we're looking for is a total psycho?" Dash questioned.

"Something like that." I answered with a dismissive wave. "But at least all of the other murderers left clues...tracks, prints, whatever pony is doing this...is good."

"OR maybe it's just somepony nopony would ever suspect." Dash said, glancing around suspiciously.

"Hm. Usually is." I muttered as the waiter arrived with our meals. He placed the plate of flapjacks on front of me, and my mind shut down as I began salivating. The smell of the maple syrup...the fresh blueberries. Just as soon as the waiter left, I grabbed a fork and shoveled a mouthful of the delicious pancakes into my waiting mouth.

"MMPH!" I groaned in ecstasy, chewing the mass of heaven.

"Geez Drake..." Dash grinned, holding her hayburger. "You are enjoying that waayyy too much." I nodded and swallowed, then pointed my fork at her.

"You daaammmn right I am." I smiled. We ate our meals in relative silence, as I was in no real position to pay attention to anything other than how good _real_ pony food tasted for a change. I finally wiped my mouth and dropped my napkin onto my plate.

"Feel better?" Rainbow asked. I smiled.

"Worlds better." I nodded. "Now let's pay the bill and get back to work."

"Aww...date's over?" Dashie whined.

"'Fraid so, yes. We gotta...wait...this was a date...nevermind, we have a case to solve." Dash counted out some bits and placed them on the bill.

"You gonna say 'The game is ahoof'?" She asked with a smirk.

"No." I answered dryly.

"So, what were you thinking, Drake?" Dash inquired, moving up beside me. "I mean, you're the awesome detective and all." I nuzzled her gently, and we moved out onto the sidewalk.

"It's been almost a week since the last ponynapping." I stated. "And the disappearances happen about a week apart. That means it's about to happen again...any day now." Dash gulped and pressed herself close to me. "Nervous, Dashie?"

"Hm? No...not at all. I'm not afraid of anything." She said defensively. I gave her a knowing look. She was putting on false bravado. I'd seen new soldiers do the same thing before their first battle. She sighed. "Well, we're investigating this thing. What if they come after us?"

"They probably won't." I assured her. I lay my head over her shoulder. "And besides, you're with me. You think I'd ever let anypony hurt you?" She smiled and cheered up a bit.

"No..." She replied. "And awesome as you are, you'd probably mess 'em up just for trying."

"Damn right." I smiled.

"So what is it you want to do?" She asked. I led her to a grassy spot.

"Ambush." I stated. Dashie gave me a surprised look. "I was looking over the map...at where the missing ponies went missing and all. I've pretty much narrowed it down to a small area, look." I pulled out the map and unfolded it to reveal a small triangle I had drawn in the lower lefthoof side of it. "This triangle represents the area in which most of the ponies likely went missing. A line from Quills and Sofas here, to Sugarcube Corners...then down to this old windmill in the southwest, then back yo to Quills and Sofas, see?"

"You're sure about all of this?" Dash asked, looking over the map.

"Pretty sure." I replied. "And I think we should do some reconnoitering."

"So we're...setting a trap." Dash commented.

"Mm, well, I am." I said. "I want you to be safe, Dashie. If you don't want to..."

"If you're putting yourself in danger, then I am too." Dash interjected. "Don't forget Drake...I love you, and I got your back." I smiled.

"I figured as much." I remarked with a slight chuckle. "Alright, we'll go back to Twilight's and get ready. Then, we'll take up position and watch the area this evening and tonight. Hopefully, we'll catch the culprit before he can take anypony else.

"Miss Twilight?" I called, entering the library. "Hello?" There was no answer.

"Twi?" Dash called out. "You home? Spike?"

"Hey Dash," I said, motioning for her. She joined me beside a small table near the entrance, where Twilight Sparkle had left us a note:

_Dear Lieutenant Drake,_

_Spike and I had to travel to Canterlot to pick up some books at the Royal Library. We may not return until tomorrow night or the next morning. Until then, feel free to continue utilizing the library for your needs. I apologize that I could not find you to tell you in person. Oh, and could you tell Rainbow Dash we had to leave? I couldn't find her either, and assumed she was with you. I am so happy that you were able to make a friend in your short time here. Well, I must go. See you when I return._

_ -Your Friend,_

_ Twilight Sparkle_

"Probably for the better." I mused. "I wouldn't want Twilight wondering why I'm stalking around town in the middle of the night, or her wanting to get involved or something." I made my way to the study I had been using as an ad hoc headquarters, with Dashie close behind. She noticed the pile of cupcake wrappers and teacups on the platter sitting on the desk and sighed. The mound of junk food remnants was trumped only by the pile of papers and stacks of folders placed haphazardly around it.

"And you've been sleeping..._where exactly_?" She asked. I pointed to the sofa, not even looking up from my bag of personal items I was going through. I heard her groan irritably. Shew walked up next to me and nudged me gently.

"What would you do without me, Drake?" She asked sweetly. I looked at the table, then at the sofa, then at Dash, and smiled.

"Go crazy." I answered.

"Heh...yeah you would." She chuckled. "So, whatcha doin'?" I pulled up the camouflaged cloak that had helped me countless times on the frontier when I wanted to remain hidden.

"White's not a good color for blending in." I said. "Unless I'm standing in a snowdrift, I tend to stick out like a beacon."

"I never thought of that!" She exclaimed. "Hahaha...I can see you trying to hide in a forest, man...'tree, tree, bush, big white stallion, tree...heheheh."

"Oh shut up." I said, rolling my eyes. "At least you sort of blend in when you're in your element." She stopped laughing, and started looking over her own body as if she'd just now noticed she was sky blue.

"Oh...I guess I kinda do, don't I?"

"Dashie...ughhh..." I grabbed her in a hug. "It's okay, scatterbrain, I still love you."

"Hey!" She exclaimed. She broke free from my embrace and scowled at me a moment. Her lips turned up into a smirk. "Army mule."

"Zoomie." I grinned. She pressed her lips onto mine, and I embraced her as we shared a deep kiss.. We gazed into each others' eyes a moment.

"Stay...Drake..." She whispered.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"When this thing is over...stay here...with me."

"Dashie...I don't..."

"Shhhh. Drake, you have a home now." Dash said, snuggling her head into my mane.

"I haven't..." I stated softly. "For the longest time..."

"You do now. With me. Stay here with me?"

"Yes, Dashie. I will." I answered. I heard my amazing little pegasus sniffle. Tears ran down my muzzle. I felt so loved. So wanted. All because this pretty, headstrong filly just wouldn't leave me alone, and forced me to feel again. "You really are...so awesome, Dashie..." I whispered to my rainbow-haired angel.

"Oh Celestia, I love you Drake!" Dash whimpered. We kissed again, a series of emotional, loving tokens of our love, then a long, sensual kiss...our tongues playing gently with each other, a playful war over who loved the other more. We pulled back and simply smiled at one another, our silence speaking more than words ever could convey.

"We uh...we should get started." I finally said.

"Yeah..." Dash agreed in a whisper. I strapped on my sword belt and adjusted my sabre, then threw the gray, brown and green splotched cloak on and tied it around my neck.

"No armor?" Dash inquired, sounding a bit concerned.

"Nah. That's cuirassier stuff..." I replied. She looked at me questioningly. "Heavy cavalry. Anyway, I don't really like armor. No real cav pony does. It just slows us down. I'd rather have speed and stealth on my side. Heheh." I grinned.

"Mm. My brave soldier." Dash said flirtatiously.

"Need a weapon?" I asked, putting on my hat.

"Nope. I got these!" Dash replied proudly, prancing on her back legs and punching the air with her forehooves. "Oh...heheh...and these!" She added, extending her wings.

"Heh. Wasn't really a question." I stated. I handed her a small dagger in a sheath outfitted with leg straps. "Put it on. It'll give me a little peace of mind. Just don't stick yourself with that."

"Draaaake..." Dash groaned peevishly, strapping the knife to her right hind leg.

"Joking." I stated defensively. "Just chillax, Dashie."

"Chilla...oh my Celestia...Drake!"

"Heheh." I laughed. "Oh, do you have anything dark in color you can wear?"

"Um...no prob, Drake. Be right back." Dash replied. "Love you." With that, she quickly left. I smiled to myself as I took the map from my sadlebag and transferred it to the pocket in my cloak. I stuck my forehoof back into the saddlebag and felt paper, and pulled out the brown paper bag that still contained four cupcakes. I tucked it into my belt, knowing we would need a snack later.

I waited twenty minutes for Dash to return before I finally heard her coming back into the library. I looked to see her enter the room, wearing a tight-fitting black hooded sweatshirt. She had black stripes painted under her eyes, and the dagger strapped to her hind leg. I took one look at her, and almost got choked up at how attractive I found all this.

"Well, how do I look now?" She asked.

"Pretty." I replied. "Then again...you look pretty all the time." She blushed and pawed the floor lightly. "So where the hay you get that stuff anyway?"

"I told Rarity that I needed it to help you with secret mission stuff, and she donated it to the cause. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah..." I mused. "...except that if you tell ponies you're going on a secret mission, it's not exactly...you know...secret?"

"I'm learning! Gimme a break here!" Dash protested. I smiled.

"Alright, we'll head south, keeping to whatever foliage we can find. We gotta stay out of sight until we get to that old windmill. Anypony work there, by the way?"

"Not for a while." Dash answered. "It's a cider mill, and the harvest ain't for a couple months."

"Good. It's a good vantage point. We'll go aloft, and watch the ground I pointed out." I explained.

"Sounds good." Dash agreed.

"Alright Dashie my love," I said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Let's go."


	12. Chapter 12: Stakeout

CHAPTER 12: Stakeout

_I'm back with the next chapter, finally. Sorry I couldn't get it posted sooner. Family stuff, you know? But here it is. Hope you enjoy, everypony!_

We remained hidden in the foliage at the edge of town all the way to our destination. After creeping through the trees to the tall wooden windmill, Dashie and I climbed the creaky steps to the top, and sat by the window overlooking the southwestern corner of Ponyville. It was now late evening, and the sun was beginning to set. Time to get down to business. I pulled out my spyglass, and looked out over the area.

"Yo, you see anything sweetie?" Dash asked. I lowered my glass.

"Did you just call me...sweetie?" I asked. Dash's cheeks turned red.

"I dunno..." She muttered shyly. "Eheh..."

"And no, nothing yet." I replied, looking back through my telescope. I smiled. "Darling."

"What do we do if you _do_ spot the ponynapper?" She asked.

"Well, I'll give you a description, and you'll fly out and pursue...since you're the zoomie and all." I grinned, and continued. "I'll follow on hoof, just make sure you keep calling out positions from the air."

"Will do!" Dash stated.

"I'll engage the enemy. As soon as I make contact, swoop in and help me subdue the perp."

"You can count on me, Drake." Dashie said. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." I replied. "Just be careful, okay?" I sighed. "I mean it, Dashie, be careful." I felt her wrap her forelegs around me.

"You too, Drake." Dash said, hugging me tightly. "I know you're the best there is...but don't you dare get yourself hurt."

"Deal." I said. I placed my left hoof on her forelegs where they lay across my chest, and we sat together, watching the sun set over the town. We sat, watching the comings and goings of the ponies, closing their shops for the day, running last-minute errands, or just on their way home for the evening.

We alternated between using my spyglass while the other gazed out over the area until long after the sun went down. Fortunately, we were blessed with having a brilliant full moon to illuminate the town for us. Somehow, Princess Luna must have known, and wanted to help.

"You think anything's gonna happen tonight?" Dashie finally whispered, staring out into the moonlit scenery.

"Don't know." I answered truthfully. "This is the hardest part, the anticipation. Get all wound up, and nothing may happen tonight, tomorrow night or the next. Or...it could be in five minutes."

"Wow..." Dash muttered.

"Yup." I returned. She stared back toward the town, watching for a sign of trouble. "You'll get used to it." She looked back at me. "If you want to keep coming on missions and stuff..." I said nervously.

"I'd...I'd like that, Drake." Dashie said with a sweet smile. I smiled back and pointed out the window. Dash raised the telescope and resumed watch. "Hey."

"What?" I asked.

"Somepony's out there." Dash whispered.

"My glass." I whispered back, moving up beside her. She handed me the scope, and I peered out over the town.

"By the fountain, just to the left."

"Got 'im." I replied. A pony, shrouded in the shadows of the night, was slowly walking across the open area between Sugarcube Corners and Quills and Sofas. The mysterious pony stopped for a moment, and shifted a bag or sack from one shoulder to the other, then continued on to the apartment building two doors down from the bedding store. The figure entered the building, and a few moments later, a window lit up. "Alright, false alarm." I growled. "Damn."

"Well, you hungry, Dashie?" I sighed, snapping the spyglass shut.

"Sure." She said. I produced the bag of cupcakes and handed one to my marefriend. She looked at the cupcake a moment and scoffed.

"You are waaayyy to addicted to these things." She said before taking a big bite.

"Shup. They're delicious." I replied, taking a bite of my own. "What's her secret, do you think?"

"Pinkie? Pshhh, I dunno." Dash shrugged. "She's always been a baking genius or something."

"I believe it." I said. "That what she does, bakes?"

"That and parties. She's Ponyville's number one party pony, ya know?"

"Ah. Family business?" I queried, finishing the first cupcake.

"Nope. The Cakes aren't Pinkie's parents. Her real mom and dad have a rock farm up north. They wanted her to grow up working there."

"Rock farm? Now _that's_ a boring occupation." I commented, taking out the remaining cupcakes, and handing one to Dashie.

"I know, right?" She agreed. "And they were super-strict on Pinkie. They didn't believe in laughter or music, and I heard...they didn't even celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve."

"Hm. Hard to believe that..._that_...came from..._that_."

"Haha. I know what you mean. She ran away from home as soon as she was old enough and came here. I'm glad she did. She's the Element of Laughter, and one of my best buds."

"Well, since I'm stuck with you now, I guess I'll be around her a bit." That comment made Dash smile warmly. "I guess I can get used to her...excess of personality."

"Heh. You should see when she gets depressed." Dash stated. "It's really messed up."

"Somepony that happy can get depressed? That's a long fall from the top." I said. I nibbled on my cupcake as Dashie spoke.

"Seriously! One time, she thought that we'd all abandoned her for some reason. I guess she'd like really insecure about that..." She mused. I nodded. "She kinda went cookoo bananas and threw a party for a pile of rocks and a bucket of turnips. She wouldn't even come out of her room."

"What happened?" I asked.

"I finally had to literally force her to come out. We'd all thrown her a birthday party, and soon as she got there...POOF, she was back to her old self again."

"Hm." I grunted. "I guess she's really lucky to have a friend like you."

"Hee." She smiled. "I'm just awesome like that."

"Of course you are..." I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"What now?"

"We'll patrol a little...if you can sneak." I answered.

"Bet I can sneak better than you." Dash taunted.

Dash and I moved stealthily through the dark, empty alleyways, pausing to hide behind trashcans, crates and other cover. We crept across streets and between buildings, searching for any signs that somepony was out at this time of night, that there was an evil pony out conducting his sinister business. Instead, all we saw was darkness, and quiet buildings. All we heard was the silence of a sleeping town, and somepony playing a Tawny Cash record loudly in their apartment.

"Nothing going on tonight." I whispered to Dash. "Let's go back to the library. It's getting late."

"You're probably right..." Dashie sighed. "...alright." We sneaked back into the trees, and made our way back to Twilight's tree-house, still keeping to the shadows.

We entered the library, and I immediately took off my camoflaged cloak, and tossed it onto my saddlebags. I unstrapped my sabre belt and leaned it against the sofa, where I habitually kept it at night. Turning, I saw Dashie wiping off her facepaint with a handkerchief.

"You should leave it on. It makes you look fierce." I grinned.

"Oh...I'm fierce 24/7." Dash smiled playfully.

"Mmm. I believe it." I flirted back. "So, what time tomorrow?"

"I gotta work tomorrow morning, then stop by Pinkie's." Dash sighed. "Then, I have a little more work to catch up on. I should be done by three, so I can catch up with you then."

"Mm. What am I to do all day without my lovely assistant?" I said playfully.

"Oh, you'll manage!" Dashie laughed.

"I know, darling. I'm probably gonna catch up on paperwork. There's a few more angles I want to check out when you're finished working and stuff."

"Okay." Dash smiled. She nuzzled me gently. "I'm gonna miss you, Drake."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Dashie..." I whispered. I kissed her gently on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, Drake." She breathed, before pressing her lips into mine. We embraced, and kissed each other deeply.

"I'm in love with a pegasus...oh the irony." I said with a smile. "Thanks Dashie...by the way..."

"For what?" She asked curiously.

"I dunno...not giving up on me?" I replied. "I'd have missed out on...everything...nevermind." Dash smiled sweetly and hugged me tightly.

"You're the stallion of my dreams, Drake. Don't you forget that." She stated.

"You're too good for me, Dashie." I gently said.

"Somepony needs to be." She replied lovingly, and nuzzling me. "Good night Drake. Sleep good, okay?"

"You too, darling." I said. "Love you."

"I love you too." She replied with a smile. "Bye, Drake." She started out, leaving me for the night.

"See you tomorrow, Dashie." I called. Then, she was gone. I hated to see her leave...really. In these few short days, she had broken down all the walls I had built around my psyche and made me trust again. She had _made_ me accept er love. That pegasus...Dashie...my Dashie. I loved her, and it made me realize that now, for the first time in my life, I had a rock, a foundation for my life.

"Yep, Drake..." I muttered to my reflection in the window. "You old tumbleweed...you've found your place." I fought against tears and let out a laugh, running a hoof through my mane. _Okay, enough of that, Lothario...back to work._

I grabbed a large folder into which I'd packed in all of my notes, observations and theories, and plopped down on the sofa. I opened the file and began leafing through the papers. All of the victims were different. Some young, some old...mares, stallions and even a foal. A gardener, a retired miner, a salespony, a student.

Okay...the victims were random...what about motive? No notes or messages, no bodies or statement to be made. It was obvious...killing to kill, or for some deeply personal or ritual purpose. Maybe I had to understand why...maybe I'd have to climb inside the ponynapper's mind before I could predict his next move.

Maybe it was _truly_ random. The first two disappearances were of different genders, and two weeks apart. The next was a youngster, eight days later. The salespony five days after that. This was definitely no ordinary enemy...they were without a doubt crafty and intelligent, but downright psychotic...or schizophrenic.

"Maybe it's just somepony nopony would ever suspect." Dash's voice echoed in my head.

"DAMN IT!" I screamed. Of course! The culprit _had_ to be somepony here in town, not some stranger lurking around in a cloak at night. It was somepony all the victims _trusted_. That's why there had been no blood, or any sign of struggles. That's why all the victims seemed so random...because they were random. Random ponies who knew their killer personally.

"Drake, you're an idiot!" I chastised myself. I quickly pulled all of my notes on the victims, last known destinations..."LUNA DAMN IT!" I shouted. All but three were on their way to Sugarcube Corners. Two of the others said they had to meet somepony. The others were out for a jog...that would've taken them past Sugarcube Corners. "Son of a bitch, it's somepony near Pinkie's!"

Could it be Pinkie? No, not her. She was an Element of Harmony...maybe one of the Cakes, or a neighbor. I had to go back to the bakery tomorrow, and tell the party pony my suspicions. She could be in danger herself. Damn, Dash wouldn't be back until the next afternoon. No matter...I'd go to Sugarcube Corners at noon. Might catch Dash there. Okay..I had a plan.

"Nopony escapes this tracker." I said to myself with a grin. I dropped the file on the floor and reached for the lantern to extinguish the flame. For some reason, I glanced back down at the folder. A single report had slipped slightly from the file, revealing the underlined sentence

_'Went to buy cupcakes. Never returned home.'_

I picked up the folder, and slipped the paper back inside, before laying it on the desk. I blew out the lamp. Tomorrow, I would solve this case, come Hell or high water. I dropped onto the sofa and closed my eyes, and soon drifted off to sleep.

_Drake now believes that he's figured out the case, or at least that he's on the right track. Two more chapters to go, and this story is over. A lot can happen in two chapters, if you remember the last volume...so I bet you all can't wait to see what happens next. You have not long to wait. The next chapter will be up soon. Until then, thanks for reading. Please send me ALL of your reviews, my loyal readers, or I will start requesting them using **THE ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE!**_


	13. Chapter 13: Cupcakes

CHAPTER 13: Cupcakes

I awoke the next morning and yawned. Sunlight streamed in through the window, spilling warm, yellow light onto me. I groaned and stood up. What time was it? I looked at the tall grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Eleven o'clock.

"Huh. How late were we out last night" I asked myself. I used a hoof to sloppily fix my mane, and placed my hat on my head. I reached for my sabre and paused. Something didn't feel right. I took a deep breath, and tried to make sense of the feeling in my gut. Buckling on my saber, I realized that something about this case was screaming at me to understand, but I had no idea what. What I DID know was that I had to meet with Pinkie Pie soon.

I stopped outside of the library and inhaled deeply a breath full of the cool mid-morning air. I still couldn't shake the feeling that I had overlooked something. That somehow there was a huge piece of the puzzle right before my eyes but had somehow not seen it. I mentally went over everything as I walked.

The ponynapper was somewhere near Pinkie's. That much was clear. Why had the party pony not noticed? She couldn't be that naive, right? Especially if it were one of the Cakes. Then again, the killer (I'd long since concluded that the missing ponies were dead.) was hiding in plain sight. The profile. Could one of the Cakes fit the profile? Harsh upbringing with possible abuse, signs of mental instability, charismatic personality, but with no romantic involvements... huh... almost sounded like Pinkie Pie...

_Don't jump to conclusions Drake_ I told myself mentally. _Not everypony with a rotten foalhood grows up to be a murderer. You sort of fit that profile too you know..._ I stopped just short of my destination. How to go about this... _Hey Pinkie, I think somepony close to you is the killer and can I have more cupcakes? _This was going to be difficult, but I'd have to wing it. Just be honest, you're her to solve this thing.

I knocked on the door to Sugarcube Corners bakery. There was no answer, no sound from inside the business, and the windows were dark. Something just didn't seem right. I knocked again, but there was no answer. I started to walk away, but my ears perked up. I thought that I heard a scream. It seemed distant and muffled, but I heard it nonetheless. I tried the knob to find it locked. I looked around for anypony who might be watching. Seeing nopony around, I bucked open the door.

The bakery was dark and silent as I slowly entered, my situational awareness raised. Ar first glance, it seemed that there was nopony inside, and that Pinkie had simply closed the shop early. But I had been on too many patrols, been in too many ambushes. I smelled danger in the bakery. I smelled that something was out of sorts. I smelled...something else. Something frighteningly familiar. I silently moved around the counter, all of my senses heightened. On the floor was a small puddle of a dark substance. Ketchup? Jelly? I moved in close and touched my hoof to the sticky liquid, and held it to my nose. Blood. I knew I smelled the metallic tang of blood in the air when I'd entered. I glanced back at the door behind me as I heard another muffled sound.

"What..." I whispered. I slowly turned the knob, and pushed open the door. It was heavy, and thick, obviously soundproofed. I immediately smelled an overpowering odor or blood and decomposition. The hairs on my neck felt as though they were standing on end. My mind momentarily turned to the time I had found the small village...ambushed...slaughtered...the ponies and foals mutilated. The smell was the same. The oppressive feeling of death in the air was the same. I shook my head clear of the thoughts, and silently drew my sabre. Drawing a breath and tensing my muscles, I crept down the stairs one at a time.

_'No matter what you find'_ I told myself mentally, _'just...'_ but the rest wouldn't come. I reached the bottom of the staircase, where there was another door. I paused a moment. _Calm down, Drake. Remember, your duty comes first. It always has. _I opened the door, my sabre at the ready.

No amount of combat or training could have prepared me for what I saw in that room. The village...it had been awful...but this...this was something else, something far darker. The basement was a catalog of death and insanity, and the very atmosphere of the room was that of Hell itself. Entrails hung like party streamers from the ceiling, and organs, skulls, body parts...remains of every horrible shape decorated the walls. My legs trembled at the sight of such twisted displays of madness, such carnage and visceral horror showcased.

"Nguh..." A voice whimpered. "S...stop...please..." The voice was weak and full of pain and fear. My stomach turned. I knew that voice. No...not that. It couldn't be. I burst into the room, my heart pounding furiously. I felt bile rise in the back of my throat, and I almost lost control. I let out a small whimper.

At the back of the room was a wooden table or platform of some sort, reminiscent of some twisted torture device, set vertically. On the table, strapped down was Dashie...my Dashie. Blood ran from awful wounds on her flanks where her cutie marks had once been, dripping down her trembling legs, and pooling on the floor beneath her. Her wings, my Dashie's greatest pride, were gone...now bloody stumps. I was frozen. I felt sick. Tears welled up in my eyes, and for a moment, I couldn't move or speak at all.

"Pinkie...I want to...go home..." Dashie whimpered.

"I'm sure you do..." Pinkie Pie replied, stepping toward Dashie, wearing a sick cloak made from at least twenty cutie marks, dried into leather and sewn together. The pink pony held a knife in her right hoof as she walked slowly toward Dash. Seeing my marefriend on the brink of death was too much for me to process. Pinkie Pie was the murderer, a sick, twisted, evil killer, and now she was about to murder Dashie!

"Pinkie Pie!" I screamed. Pinkie looked right at me with a look in her eyes that made my blood run cold. She seemed completely different, replaced now with a being of pure evil.

"It's soooo rude to crash a private party, Drakie." Pinkie Pie said in a dark tone. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and saw me. Our eyes met, and she gasped, trying to catch a breath, and coughed weakly.

""D...Drake..." She whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks "sweetie...help..."

"Let Dashie go! NOW!" I yelled, pointing my sabre at Pinkie Pie, who still stared at me without emotion. "I'll end you here and now!"

"Oh, not likely, Drake." Pinkie said calmly. She moved her knife around ominously, watching the glistening blade intently. "You have no idea how long I've gotten away with this. As soon as I finish with Dashie, you can help me make cupcakes too! I bet you'll make really _good_ cupcakes, Drakie!" She smiled sadistically.

"Cupca...Oh Celestia!" I gagged. I felt like vomiting. I now knew why there had been no traces of the victims. Her cupcakes...

"I'm almost finished playing." Pinkie said sweetly.

"Drake..." Dashie groaned. "Don't let...her..." She gasped and whimpered in pain.

"I'm not arresting you!" I cried out. "This ends NOW!" I lunged at Pinkie, who was surprisingly quick, and dodged my attack. I slashed out, but she blocked my sabre with her large kitchen knife. She rolled to my left and sliced out, cutting my left shoulder. I jumped back, away from her, squaring off to go again.

"My harvest!" Pinkie screamed. "I need my ingredients to..." I turned and bucked her hard, sending her flying across the room into a metal barrel of hot coals. Pinkie screeched as the hot coals and embers burned into her flesh She came back fast, her knife held high, ready to plunge it into my heart. Instead of moving to defend, I stabbed out at the last second. To my horror, Pinkie Pie thrust herself upon my sword, impaling herself more and more through her shoulder, acting as though she didn't even feel my blade burying into her. She shrieked as she brought her knife down into my right foreleg. Blood spurted from the wound as she drove the knife's blade through my limb. I howled in pain, and released my sabre. I jerked my leg away, tearing the knife from Pinkie's grip.

"Draaaake..." Dashie called hoarsely, her voice cracking.

"Dashi...hold on, okay? Just...hang in there!" I pulled the knife from my leg, wincing in pain. "I'll never let you..." I fought tears. "I won't let anything happen to you!" Pinkie Pie pulled my sabre from her body and held it out threateningly. I narrowed my eyes as a felt my anger toward this sadistic killer reach its boiling point. She wasn't going to lay a hoof on Dashie again. It was Pinkie or me. "I love you, Dashie." I stated.

"I love you...Drake...I..." I heard Rainbow Dash exhale sharply, and looked back to see her hanging limply from her restraints.

"No..." I choked. "Dashie..."

"Awww, that's so sweet!" Pinkie remarked in a bubbly voice. I shot my gaze back to her. "I didn't know you two were all...lovey-dovey huggy-wuggy, kissy-poo and snuggle-buggy." She sang. Pinkie narrowed her eyes and struck down with the sword. I ducked her blow. She swung the long blade around, and I blocked with the knife. For what seemed like an eternity we stood, our blades locked, our faces inches from one another, and our eyes locked on each other. Pinkie Pie hissed with an evil grin, and I gritted my teeth.

"Gimme back my sabre." I growled. I lunged forward and bit down hard on her left ear. Feeling the tough gristle of her ear clamped in my teeth, I pulled with all my might, tearing the ear from her head. I fell back onto the floor and spat out the bloody appendage. Pinkie Pie screamed and dropped my sword, blood running down the side of her head.

"My ear! Oh no, my face is...what did you do to me?! My cute little face is ruuuiiined!"

"GO TO HELL!" I bellowed, leaping to my hooves. I tackled Pinkie, ramming her back against the concrete wall. I held my right foreleg against her throat and headbutted her, but she drove her hoof down onto my wound, and taking advantage of my pain, pushed off of the wall and bucked me across the room. I landed hard on my sabre, feeling a rib or two crack as I hit.I lie there, gasping for breath as Pinkie Pie came closer. I was beat to hell, but I couldn't let her win. I had to stop her...for Dashie. I heard the metallic scrape as she picked her knife up from off of the floor. Her shadow fell over me, and I gripped the handle of the sabre underneath me tightly.

"I'm going to have to kill you first." Pinkie growled. "It'll take _forever_ to get myself cleaned up. Oh, and I still have to bake my special rainbow cupcakes!" With that, I rolled over just as she begun to bring the knife down on me, and swung my sabre hard, the sharp blade slicing cleanly and deeply through her throat. Blood rained down on me where I lay.

"Paauuugghhhh..." She rattled, gripping her neck as blood gushed out, spattering to the floor. Pinkie dropped her knife, and holding onto her throat with both front hooves, stood fully upright and staggered back. "Aughhh..." She rasped. She reached out toward Dashie's limp body with a bloody hoof and finally fell to the floor. Pinkie convulsed a few times, then her eyes slowly rolled back. Her eyelids fluttered and closed, and her body stilled where she lay.

"Dash..." I gasped, and forced myself to my hooves. I limped to Dashie's body. I cut the restraints holding her to the table with my sabre, and caught her as she fell. I sat her gently onto the floor and nudged her softly. "Rainbow Dash..." I quaked, tears running down my cheeks, falling onto her blood-spattered face. "Please Dashie...wake up...wake up...please don't leave me..." My voice lowered to a whisper. "I love you. I love you so much, Dashie. I', so sorry...I'm sorry I...I couldn't save you..." I dropped to the floor, my head on her chest, sobbing onto her body.

"Heeyyyy..." A weak whisper said from Dashie's lips. I raised my head. "Come on, man...who said...you didn't..." My darling Dashie opened her eyes weakly and gave me a small smile.

_Bet you didn't see that coming, did you? There will be one more chapter, and it will be posted tomorrow afternoon. Then...I may have a surprise for all of you who may have grown fond of Drake. I ain't gonna ruin it. You'll just have to wait and see what it is. **WE HOPE TO SEE MANY WELL-WORDED REVIEWS FROM ALL OF OUR LOYAL READERS**...ahem, sorry. Thanks for reading, everypony. _


	14. Chapter 14: Changes

CHAPTER 14: Changes

I sat by the hospital bed, keeping silent watch over the unconscious form in the bed. It had been a week and a half now, and Dashie still hadn't woken up. She'd endured a lot of trauma, physically and mentally. She had lost a lot of blood. The doctors said she was lucky to have even survived the ordeal she'd been through. I didn't think _lucky_ was the right word.

The closest Dash had come to waking up was the times when she would have a night terror. She'd begin to toss and turn, then let out a horrified, choking scream that tore my heart in two. The doctors said that it was psychological trauma, her reliving the brutal incident in her subconscious. As if I didn't know what she was going through. I told the doctors to get out, to leave whenever she had one of the nightmares, and let me take care of her myself.

"Shhh, it's okay, Dashie..." I would whisper to her, holding her hoof when the terrors came. "I'm here, it's okay now. It's over. I love you, Dashie."

A day after my battle with Pinkie Pie, the constable arrested Apple Bloom, Applejack's little sister. Apparently, she had been helping Pinkie all along, apprenticing under the psychopathic killer. With her evil mentor dead, the young killer-in-training had tried to go it alone, and had gotten caught. She confessed to everything, and was sent to an institution for psychiatric evaluation. Applejack and her family were devastated. The cowpony had visited the hospital room a couple of times to check on Dash. I truly felt sorry for her. It was like her resolve and strength were sapped, and she was like a shadow of her former self. She hugged me, and broke down crying in my arms, and for once in my life, I didn't know what to say, except that if she needed anything at all, she could come to me.

After a week, Princess Celestia came to Ponyville to console the remaining Elements of Harmony. Twilight...poor Twilight was a wreck. Rarity closed her shop, and didn't venture outside for days. Fluttershy, the meekest Element Bearer...I hear that she was in this same hospital following a nervous breakdown. The Princess did what she could to console them, and then visited Dashie's room. If I remember correctly, once she was alone with Dash and I, I finally broke down. My own emotional strength was gone. I cried like a foal in front of Princess Celestia. She wept with me as we sat by my marefriend's bed.

"Thank you, Drake." Celestia finally said. "As tragic and...terrible as this has been, you saved lives. You saved Rainbow Dash, and who knows how many more. You ended it. I am eternally in your debt." Celestia had two guards bring a large, ornate box into the room. They sat it right in the middle of the room, and Celestia thanked me again, and then left. After two days, I finally forced myself to open the chest. Inside was enough gold and silver to live on for a decade, even after buying a house. Atop the treasure was a note. I slowly picked up the letter, which was addressed simply from 'Celestia'

_Lieutenant Drake:_

_You have performed admirably, just as I believed you would, Princess Luna and myself, all of Ponyville, as well as the families and friends of all of my poor little ponies who have died are grateful to you, and in their hearts and minds, praise you more than you probably do yourself._

_Drake, your actions more than absolve you of your past deeds for which you have punished yourself more than enough. Your brave troopers who died on the frontier now look down on you and smile in admiration, and glow with respect for their brave commander, and his noble deeds. Of that, I am certain._

_For your actions, as you may have noticed, I have paid you handsomely. You will be well financially as you begin your new assignment, my loyal lieutenant. From henceforth, you will be assigned as a special investigator, and Royal Cavalry attache to the Military Police Division, Criminal Investigative Services, retaining your rank as lieutenant. You will answer only to me, and take only the cases which require your special style of investigation, and be paid well for your work._

_As for Rainbow Dash, I have been told that the two of you have gotten very close. I am so happy that you not only saved her life, but that you could be there for her in her most trying time, and be the stallion she needs. As she recovers, you have my blessing to remain by her side, and to keep her near to your heart, body and soul. If she wishes to join you, she may have a position as your assistant._

_Thank you again, Lieutenant Drake. Thank you for your service to your fellow ponies, and for your gallantry and bravery in this dark time. I will be in contact with you, and you are always welcome and Canterlot. Good luck, Drake. _

_ Your Princess_

_ -Celestia _

"Thank you, my princess..." I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "Thank you." Dash would be happy, after a while at least. I knew it would take a long time for her to get better, and to learn to live with what had happened to her, but she could be happy now, and I would do whatever I had to to ensure that she was.

The Elements of Harmony were broken. Princess Celestia and Twilight had no choice but to find two more ponies to fill the places of Dashie and Pinkie Pie. For the position of the Element of Laughter, a party pony named Cheese Sandwich was tasked. He had heard about the murders, and Pinkie's involvement, and had traveled three days to help in any way he could. Now, Pinkie's own party protege had taken her Dash's position, a clutzy but good-natured and steadfast pegasus named Derpy Hooves became the new Element of Loyalty. Twilight and I decided that I should be the one to break the news to Dashie, as soon as she awoke from her coma. Twilight had watched with a tragic smile and tears in her eyes, as I gently kissed Dash on the lips and whispered a promise that everything was going to be okay.

Dashie finally awoke two days later. For two weeks, I had never left her side, eating only what the nurses or Dashie's friends brought me, and sleeping for only a few minutes at a time in the chair beside her bed. When Dashie awoke, I was probably on the verge of collapsing myself. Her eyes fluttered and slowly opened. She blinked a couple of times, and focused on me, standing over her. I held her hoof as she came to. She gazed into my eyes in recognition a moment.

"Drake..." Dashie whispered hoarsely.

"Yes, Dashie...I'm right here." I said lovingly, gripping her hoof.

"Drake...what...I..." She began. Her eyes suddenly went wide, and Dash tried to sit up. "Pinkie! Oh man...she's gonna..." I held her down to keep her from hurting herself.

"Dashie, stop..." I gently commanded. "Pinkie's dead. It's over."

"Dead...Pinkie's dead?" Dash whimpered. Tears filled her eyes, and she began sobbing as her memories finally came flooding back. She began sobbing, and I held her close as she cried and wailed. I couldn't even begin to imagine the agony that the pegasus I loved more than life itself was going through right now.

"Dashie..." I whispered to her. "It's all going to be okay...I know nothing I say or do can help what you're feeling right now, but...I love you. I love you and I'm never leaving you."

"I know, Drake..." She sniffed. Suddenly, she began twitching. "Wait...wha...Drake...what's wrong with my wings?"

"Dashie..." I said, trying to stop what I knew was coming.

"Drake...I can't feel my wings! Why can't I feel my wings?!"

"Dashie...stop!" I cried. She leaped out of bed, tumbling to the floor before getting unsteadily to her hooves. She looked into the full-length mirror on the wall. I was speechless. My stomach knotted up, and tears filled my eyes. Dash stood there, shaking a moment.

"What...no...Drake! DRAAAAAAAKE!" She screamed. I grabbed her in a tight embrace, trying desperately to calm her down.

"Dashie, stop...please..." I begged.

"My wings...she took...my wings..." Dashie panted, hyperventilating.

""Please Dashie..." I began.

"My wings...what about...my cutie marks...Drake..." I nodded my head sadly. "No! I'm nothing now! Nothing!"

"DASH!" I cried. "NEVER say that! You're _everything_ to me! I still think you're awesome and pretty and...and..."

"Drake..."

"The best thing that ever happened to me!"

"Drake!" She gasped, and squeezed me tightly.

"We're going to be alright." I assured her. "We'll get through this, and we'll be alright. I promise."

"Bye Dashie...we're going to miss you." Twilight said, hugging Rainbow Dash. After a month of rehabilitation, Dash was healed enough to leave the hospital...and Ponyville.

"I'll come back to visit, Twi." Dashie said with a smile. "You can count on it."

"Ya'll better, now." Applejack added, trying to sound cheerful. After all she'd been through, I was amazed that the cowpony had managed to keep it together. Somewhere along the way, while Dash was learning to walk and trot again in the hospital, I had confessed to Applejack that I had been her cousin's commander at the time he was killed. I apologized to her for what I had done, and for not stopping Pinkie before she hurt Dash.

"It's..." She said, then sighed. "It's okay, Drake. I fergive ya. You saved mah friend, and I'm sure you did what ya could out thee on the range...I can't hate ya fer that..."

"Thank you, Applejack." I whispered.

"Thank you, lieutenant. Fer savin' Rainbow Dash...and fer being a good coltfriend to her." She leaned over close as we watched the doctors helping Dash stand on her hind legs. "Just you remember now, ya'll hurt her, and I'll come looking fer ya." She stated seriously.

Now, as we stood there, bidding farewell to everyone, Applejack walked up to me. She smiled, and gave me a friendly hug, then gave Dashie a hug as well before turning back to me.

"You take good care of our Rainbow Dash now, mister." She reminded.

"Always." I nodded. Applejack smiled.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity exclaimed, collapsing dramatically onto Dashie in a hug. "You do _please _take care, dear! And I want to hear all about your travels, and all the places you get to visit!"

"Okay, Rare." Dash smiled, patting the fashionista unicorn on the back. "I'll send you and cool exotic clothes and stuff if I run across them."

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Rarity replied. "Just...take care of yourself." She looked at me. "And like Applejack said, do watch out for her?" I bowed slightly.

"You have my word." I stated.

"Guys, I'm not completely helpless, yaknow?" Dash sighed.

"No you're not." Twilight agreed, walking up to Dash and nuzzling her. "You're still the awesome and amazing R.D. That we all love." Dash blushed.

"Aww...thanks, girls." She said.

"And no matter where ya'll end up, we'll always be the best a' friends." Applejack added.

"I know..." Dash whispered reflectively. "Thank you guys...all of you. You guys are my best friends." She sniffled and closed her magenta eyes. I put a foreleg over her. Dashie smiled and opened her eyes, showing a new vigor, a little of her old self.

"I'll come back for a visit...you know, when I find a chance in between my epic adventures..." She nuzzled me affectionately. "...with the most awesome stallion in all of Equestria."

The train pulled closer to the station platform where I stood with Dashie, the colorful engine sounding a wailing whistle as it belched white vapor into the air. Dashie nudged me gently. I looked to see her smiling, the faintest trace of tears in her eyes. I gave her a kiss, gently on the lips.

"I love you Drake." She said.

"I love you, Dashie." I whispered back. The train came to a stop. "You ready?" I asked. She grinned playfully.

"Oh yeah." She replied. We stepped into the waiting car, ready to begin our new lives together.

_And so ends volume three of The Drake Chronicles. The murderer has been stopped, Drake and Dash are together, and Drake has a new job. Things are starting to look up for him now. I hope you all enjoyed this story, and liked my take on the whole Cupcakes thing. Honestly, it didn't get as many reviews as I thought it would, but I'm surprised by the sheer amount of people reading this one. I hope some of you go back and read the first two as well._

_Now for the surprise...maybe: Depending on how the next couple days go, I may go ahead and post the next volume. This all depends on what happens tomorrow, really...and I hope everything works out. In the next volume, you get to meet another character who enters Drake's life: Budder. If I do end up posting the story, you'll all fall in love with her, and I hope I can have the opportunity to share volume 4 with all of you. If things don't work out well, I must leave the saga here, and end the story of Drake forever. So keep your hopes up. Until then, thank you all for reading, everypony._


End file.
